Petals of Fate
by idiosyncraticbug
Summary: Chap 28 up. Everything that occurs is linked to another, that is how fate works. Kagome's fate began with Rin's kidnapping. If she hadn't rescued her, she wouldn't have met him, wouldn't be caught up in all this, wouldn't have fallen in love. AU SessKag
1. Petal 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_Italics denote thoughts._

'...' denote sounds.

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oOo

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she noted that it was 5 minutes to closing time. Stretching her back, she yawned before deciding to call it a day. Judging at the number of customers they had today, it was very unlikely someone would turn up at this time of the day. Sango was on the morning shift today so she had left earlier leaving her alone in the little store.

Flipping the sign over to 'Close', she locked the door and made her way to the back room which served as an employees' lounge as well as a store room. Plopping down on a chair, she stretched out her legs under the table before giving in to yet another yawn.

'scratch' 'scratch'

Her eyes shot open. She glanced around but everything seemed to be in its proper place. It couldn't be a mouse for Sango's cat, Kirara, would have taken care of it. Straining her ears for the noise again, she was only met with silence. Dismissing it as a figment of her imagination, she stood up and grabbed her bag, preparing to leave for the comforts of home.

'scratch' 'scratch'

The minute her ears detected the noise, all her senses went on alert. It seemed to be coming from outside, just beyond the back door. If anything, the scratching sound was louder this time accompanied by a slight shuffling.

_Burglars,_ she thought, dropping her bag on the table and reached instead for a nearby baseball bat that they kept in case of emergencies like this.

Steeling her nerves, she gripped the bat tightly in her hands as she made her way to the door. _No one is getting into the store, not on my watch!_

Flinging the door open, she was prepared to hit first and ask later but there was no one there. The only thing that met her was the cool night breeze and a dark, silent alley.

_That's weird. I swear I heard those sounds,_ she thought to herself, while glancing up and down the empty lane. _Could it be I'm hearing things?_

As if on cue, she heard the noise again and it seemed to be coming from beneath the pile of empty cardboard boxes to her left. Eyeing it warily, she poked the bottommost box with her bat.

She knew of many sounds that could possibly be emitted from under the box but a short, muffled gasp was not one of them. Kami knows, she was expecting a squeak or a mew, but definitely not a gasp. Well, unless kittens started gasping and nobody bothered to tell her about it.

Taking a deep breath, she bent down and pushed all the cardboard boxes away. An ear piercing shriek as well as a pair of wildly thrashing arms greeted her.

"GO AWAY!"

"What – Hey! Stop it! Ouch!" she exclaimed as a little fist met with her cheek causing her to stumble backwards.

Quickly regaining her balance, Kagome did the only thing she could think of at that time. She grabbed both the offending fists and held them up causing their owner to let out a frightened squeak.

"Eh?"

Surprise was evident in her voice as her blue eyes settled upon the form of a little girl who was trembling hard with fear written all over her face.

"Who-"

She was cut short when she felt her miko senses tingle like they always did whenever youkai was near. Expanding her aura, she could feel the youkai or rather youkais more clearly now. There were three of them, and by what she could feel, they were not exactly very powerful ones. Nothing she couldn't handle, if the need arises.

A shout from one of the approaching youkais announced their presence in the alley.

"The brat's in here and there's another bitch with her!"

The little girl started trembling harder than ever.

"They're here. They've found Rin. Now they will kill Rin."

_What the hell?_ Kagome thought to herself. She may have just come across the child about five minutes ago but there was no way in hell she's going to let her come to harm.

"I want you to go through the door and stay inside okay? Don't come out until I come for you," she said calmly to the younger girl while pulling her gently to her feet.

"Don't worry; I won't let them get you. Now hurry on inside."

Nodding, the younger girl ran inside. Not wanting the child to see her in a fight, she closed the door before confronting the youkai.

"Hand over the brat if you know what's good for you!" one of the youkais said.

He only received a chuckle as a response.

"You should go back the way you came if you know what's good for you," she said.

The one standing in the middle, obviously the leader of the little group, said, "It's time we teach the filthy human some manners, boys!"

With that, the two youkai beside him lunged at her, intent on disemboweling her with their claws. However, her reflexes were too fast for them. She sidestepped them neatly and before they knew it, Kagome had delivered a punch to each youkai's jaw.

"Too slow boys," she taunted, "I thought demons were supposed to be faster than this."

The two demons growled and made for her again. She was tired and fighting off youkais was not something she wanted to do after a long day of work and classes. Not wanting to waste her time fighting them, she quickly shot two bolts of her miko power at them. They turned into ashes before they could open their mouths to scream.

The remaining youkai was absolutely furious.

"Bitch! You'll pay for this!" he shouted as he leapt at her.

Kagome quickly dodged him, accidentally grazing her elbow on the wall. Huffing at her own carelessness, she took it out on the youkai by shooting a bolt of her miko power at him. He turned into ashes with a horrible shriek that seemed to echo in the alley.

"That's what you get when you mess with Higurashi Kagome!" she said to whatever remained of the three youkai that she had purified just minutes earlier.

She turned to enter the shop once again, only to find the previously closed door already open and a wide-eyed young girl staring up at her. From the look in her eyes, she had been watching for the whole duration of the fight between Kagome and the youkais.

_Kami, I must've scarred her for life,_ she thought while trying to come up with some sort of explanation regarding the necessity of youkai purification in this case to the girl. She believed that no matter how evil they were, it was simply wrong to take another's life, be they human or demon.

"Erm…well…you see…"

She didn't get to say another word as the young girl suddenly flung herself onto Kagome. Her two small arms were wrapped tightly around the older girl's midsection.

"Thank you, onee-chan! You saved Rin from the baddies!" she cried out.

"Oh, erm, you're welcome. Come on, let's go into the shop before you catch a cold," Kagome said, gently detaching the girl's arms from her body and leading her into the shop.

oOo

"Okay, Rin-chan," Kagome asked, kneeling down on one knee so that she was at eye level with the girl, "can you remember your mommy or daddy's phone number?"

The previously happy looking brown eyes looked downcast all of a sudden causing the older girl to wonder at the abrupt change.

_Was it something I said?_

"Rin – "

"Rin doesn't have a mommy," the little girl answered sadly, her eyes fixed on the tiled floor.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Rin-chan," Kagome said quietly.

Silence hovered between the two of them. Kagome was at a loss as to what to say next. She didn't want to make the girl more miserable than she already is. However, Rin's soft voice broke the silence.

"Can Rin call daddy?"

oOo

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A/N: Thank you for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	2. Petal 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

_Italics denote thoughts._

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oOo

"Thanks," Kagome said as her friend handed her a cup of tea.

"Is the kid asleep?"

"Yeah, she dropped off almost immediately. It must have been a very long and frightening day for her. Poor girl," Kagome said, sipping on her hot tea.

Her best friend, Sango, sat down beside her.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. You found the kid in the back alley, fought off a couple of youkais who were after her and then brought her back home. Girl, did it ever occur to you to take her to the police station?"

Stealing a nervous glance at the other girl, she gulped before answering.

"Um…well…you see…" _Damn, I totally forgot that the police even existed!_

"You never thought of it, right?"

Kagome flinched. Sango had hit the bullseye, like always. Why is it that she can never hide anything from the girl?

"Kagome, are you out of your mind? The youkais could be out for revenge and swarming our apartment any time now. They're sitting out there, waiting for the perfect time to jump in and cut you up into little pieces. Why? Because you decided to play heroine, rescue the girl from a bunch of demons and to top it off, take her back to your own home."

"I don't see any," Kagome said mischievously, peering out the open window.

Sango smacked her forehead.

"Kagome, were you even listening to me?"

"Of course!" she answered, a little too quickly for Sango's liking.

Giggling slightly, she looked at her friend and said, "You're being paranoid again, girl."

"I'm not!" she protested.

"Sango, I know you mean well. But I couldn't leave the girl just like that. You should have seen her face earlier. The poor girl looked so scared and she was clinging to me like I was going to disappear anytime. I'd really hate to see the look on her face if I were to just dump her with a couple of police officers. Besides, it's just for tonight, I promise. I'll take her to wherever her home is first thing tomorrow."

The other girl looked adamant.

"Aw…come on, Sango-chan," Kagome said in the most pleading tone she could muster, one that is guaranteed to work on Sango especially when paired with her puppy dog eyes.

"It's just for one night. Nothing's going to happen to any of us. Besides, if something were to happen, I'm sure it won't be anything you and I can't handle, ne, Sango-chan?"

She can never resist those irritatingly pitiful yet adorable puppy dog eyes her friend had decided to use on her. The worst thing is, Kagome knew it too. Sango let out a sigh. Her best friend is going to be the death of her.

"You're just too nice sometimes, you know that? Make sure she's back at wherever she's supposed to be tomorrow."

"You're the best, Sango!" she cried, hugging her friend tightly._ Yes! I knew she'd fall for those eyes!_

"Kagome, you're crushing me!"

oOo

Kagome watched the sleeping girl beside her. _She looks so cute when she sleeps,_ she thought, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She wondered why the youkais were after her. Could she be some rich man's daughter and they were trying to kidnap her for ransom?

Rin turned around in her sleep and snuggled closer to Kagome. One of her little hands reached out for a fistful of Kagome's pajamas and clutched it tightly. The older girl couldn't help but smile a little and plant a soft kiss on the top of her head. _She really is adorable._

She draped her arm gently over Rin's shoulders. Her heart went out to the young girl who was currently fast asleep. Having lost her own father when she was about Rin's age, she could understand what Rin's feelings were. It was a permanent void that could never be filled no matter how many years had gone by. She should know for she still feels the emptiness in her till today.

Nonetheless, she was lucky that she had such a great mother who loved her brother, Souta, and herself very much. Souta often says that their mom showered them with more than enough maternal love to make up for the loss of a paternal love. She wondered briefly if that was the same case with Rin.

However, something that Rin said earlier had caused her to be a little uneasy.

-- Flashback --

"Can Rin call daddy?"

"Yeah, sure," Kagome said. "Do you remember his number?"

Nodding happily, Rin recited the number to the older girl who punched it into her mobile. She was glad that Jaken-sama had made her memorize her father's phone number.

The phone seemed to ring for an eternity before a voice said, "The number you have dialed is not available. Please try again later."

She ended the call only the press the redial button immediately.

After what seemed like a few hundred calls to the number that is still unavailable, Kagome ended the current call. She looked at Rin who looked back at her forlornly.

"I'm sorry Rin. I can't get through to you dad."

"Kagome, can you try again? I'm sure daddy will answer it," she pleaded.

"Alright."

Pressing the redial button once more, she prayed that this time she'll be able to reach Rin's father and not the confounded message.

"The number you have dialed is not –"

Kagome cut it off. She was sick of that voice and had heard enough in the past ten minutes to last her a lifetime. There is no doubt that the stupid line will be stuck in her mind for the whole of tomorrow. She sighed in defeat and turned to Rin, shaking her head slightly.

"I'm really sorry, Rin. Maybe he's busy or something."

Tears began to fall from Rin's chocolate brown eyes. Kagome hastily wiped them off with her hands and tried to comfort her.

"Rin? Don't cry, Rin. I'm sure we can get through to your daddy. We'll try again later ok?"

"Rin doesn't want to be left behind again!"

With that, she flung herself onto Kagome and clung tightly, her little body heaving with lod sobs.

-- End Flashback --

_Left behind again? What does that mean?_

Needless to say, Kagome had been rather dumbfounded when Rin had said that. She could find no words in her to soothe the little girl for she knew there wasn't any appropriate enough. Instead, she simply wrapped her arms around Rin and hugged her, all the while willing her own tears not to fall.

It was this little utterance that had made Kagome bring Rin home with her. All the way back to her apartment, Kagome tried to reassure Rin that her father wasn't trying to leave her behind and that they will be able to contact him tomorrow. The girl simply listened to her silently.

oOo

Outside the apartment, strong winds were howling. Clouds heavy with rain blocked out all the stars and occasional flashes of lightning lit up the night sky. Thunder rolled across the heavens like a ball in motion. A sudden loud clap of thunder startled those who slumbered peacefully on earth.

"KAGOME!"

Rin's cry jolted Kagome from her dreams.

"Shh…it's alright, Rin. Don't cry, I'm here," Kagome said softly. Although her mind was still a little hazy, she picked Rin up and held her close as her hand made soothing circles on her back.

Before long, Rin was quiet again and if her heavy lidded eyes were any indication, she was already falling asleep. Kagome placed Rin on the bed again, covering her up with the blanket. A soft murmur reached her ears.

"Kagome, don't leave Rin."

oOo

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A/N: Here it is, chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming in please! 


	3. Petal 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

_Italics denote thoughts_

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_

oOo

Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a bad headache coming and wanted nothing more than to be home with his daughter at the moment. The fact that his assistant was incompetent enough to keep him busy until way past the usual office hours did not help at all.

Looking up at from the pile of papers that he was reading, he glanced at the little digital clock on his desk. 9.26 p.m. Briefly he wondered if his little girl was already in bed seeing that she had to go to kindergarten early tomorrow morning.

Come to think of it, she had not called him today. The girl was very attached to him and made it a point to call him at least once a day. She must have been so busy playing that she had simply forgotten to give him her customary call. _That must be it, _he thought as he ignored the unsettling feeling that arose in him. Still, he decided to call home just in case his daughter was waiting up for him like she had done the other night when he had to stay for a late meeting.

He stood up to retrieve his phone from its place in his coat pocket only to find that his coat wasn't where he usually left it. Frowning, he cast his amber gaze around the room, thinking that he may have left it lying around somewhere else. However, his coat was nowhere to be seen.

It was only then that he remembered where his coat was, no thanks to his good for nothing assistant once again. He made a mental note to have her fired the next day.

-- Flashback --

Sesshoumaru had gone out for a late lunch with two prospective clients, taking his assistant, Ann, with him. The lunch had gone well, the discussion even better. Everything was going exactly as planned, that is until Ann spilt coffee on him, or rather, on his coat. It would not have been too bad if his coat was black, but unfortunately for him, he had chosen to wear a light brown colored one today.

Only out of respect to his clients did Sesshoumaru refrain from killing his assistant on the spot. The girl apologized profusely all the way back to the office but that did nothing to cool his murderous intents towards her. She beat a hasty retreat by taking his coat - the coat that had a large coffee stain in front as well as his mobile, which had been turned off during lunch, in the inner pocket – to the nearest laundry.

-- End Flashback --

His frown deepened. He could only hope that whoever was cleaning his coat had enough sense to check the pockets beforehand. There was no doubt that the little piece of technology would not survive a tumble in the washing machine or worse still, the dryer. He'd really hate to have to go through the hassle of getting another for the phone that was currently somewhere at the laundry was his personal phone, the phone used for anything outside of work.

Now he knew why is it that he didn't get a call from his daughter the whole day. It suddenly occurred to him that the poor girl must have been distraught when he did not answer her call. Quickly, he reached for his other phone, the one he used for work. Flipping it open, he dialed the number to his residence.

The phone rang for a long time but no one answered. He cut it off and hit redial immediately. Once again, nobody picked it up. It was rather late in the evening so there was no reason why Jaken was not at home to answer the phone. His retainer knew better than to take his daughter out at this time of the day without his knowledge.

Ending the call, he quickly dialed another number. He had never believed in any religion but at that moment, he found himself praying to whatever Kami that was listening, for the old toad to answer his phone. However, his prayers went unanswered.

Suspecting something terribly amiss, he grabbed his keys and left the office.

oOo

Twenty minutes later saw an extremely impatient Sesshoumaru in the elevator of his apartment building. The thing was going much too slow for his liking. It seemed to take forever just to reach the topmost floor where his penthouse was located. If it wasn't for the fact that it would attract a lot of unwanted attention, he would have simply leaped up to his balcony instead of taking the agonizingly slow elevator.

The minute the doors slid open, he shot out like a bolt and straight to his door. However, even before he had the heavy oak door open, he already knew there was no one in the apartment. He could detect neither Jaken nor his daughter, Rin's, presence.

Flinging the door open, he stepped into the quiet house. His nose picked up their scents but they were rather faint, implying that the last time they were in the house was at least a few hours ago. He walked around the house, trying to detect anything they may have left behind to inform him as to where they are.

There was none, except for a little yellow colored note stuck on the refrigerator door. Judging from the messy looking scrawl, the note was obviously written by Jaken, with the intention of reminding himself to pick Rin up from her music lessons at 6 p.m. today. Nonetheless, it still did not answer the question as to why the two of them are not at home now. If anything, it only served to tell him that they should have been home a long time ago.

The sudden shrill ringing of the phone in the hall startled him, although he did not show it.

"Kawamura residence."

What the voice on the other end told him was news to him indeed. The hospital in town was probably the last place he expected to get a call from. Honestly speaking, he wasn't even sure whose call he was expecting to receive. His father? His half-brother? His enemies? The list of possible callers was just endless.

Sesshoumaru didn't even wait for the other person to finish whatever she was going to say. He simply stated, "I'll be right there" before putting the receiver down.

oOo

It wasn't long before Sesshoumaru found himself walking down a long hallway of the youkai's wing in the hospital. According to a rabbit youkai nurse at the nurses' station, Jaken's room was at the end of the left corridor. It wasn't as if he couldn't find his retainer by himself, it was just that the sanitary smell of the hospital overpowered everything and was literally assaulting his superior sense of smell rendering it difficult for him to sniff out the toad.

He pushed open the last door, entering the toad youkai's room. It looked very much like any other room in the hospital – beige wallpaper, light brown curtains, white linen, and brown blankets. And there they were saying that cheerful colors can help a person or in Jaken's case, a youkai, heal faster. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk a little.

There on the bed lay the toad youkai, his body covered in bandages. He could hardly move, being still weak after losing a lot of blood as well as breaking a couple of bones, yet he struggled to raise himself when he saw his master enter the room. Needless to say, he only managed to move his head up a couple of inches before it fell on to the pillow once again.

"Forgive … me, Sesshoumaru … sama," he gasped, breathless and devoid of energy, as if his movements earlier had robbed him of any remaining strength.

Sesshoumaru did not answer; he merely turned his eyes on the injured youkai lying on the hospital bed. His retainer was saying something, but it was so weak and soft that were it not for his sharp youkai hearing, he would not have heard a thing.

"They … they have … taken Rin. This lowly servant … failed … to protect her."

Amber eyes narrowed, the only clue to his emotions.

"Who are 'they'?"

"Three … youkais. They also mentioned … a boss."

"Where and when did this happen?" he asked.

Jaken paused for a while before answering, as if trying to recollect his thoughts.

"Sakura street … in Precinct … 18. Right after … Rin's … music class."

Sesshoumaru's thoughts ran at the speed of light through his mind, processing what Jaken has just told him. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing at all. He turned to leave, but a croak from the bed halted his steps.

"Please save … her … Sesshoumaru … sama."

He paused in his thoughts and looked at the toad out of the corner of his eye.

"Heal yourself, Jaken."

With that he left the room in the blink of an eye; indicated only by the slight swing of the door. There are things that needed to be done and they must be done immediately.

oOo

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A/N: Thank you for reading as well as for the reviews!

To:

Kimster44 - it will be soon so erm ... hang around::wink::


	4. Petal 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

_Italics denote thoughts._

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oOo

He was deep in thought as he maneuvered his car through the winding streets of the city. There is no doubt about it. His little Rin has been kidnapped and by a group of demons too. What he could not understand was why the youkais would dare touch what was his. True, his daughter is human, but that was no reason to harm what was under his protection. _The demons will pay for their insolence, this Sesshoumaru will see to that,_ he thought.

In youkai society, Kawamura Sesshoumaru is still known as the Lord of the Western Lands although the west did not belong to him anymore. His reign as Lord ended when the human population greatly outnumbered the youkai population some hundred or so years ago, not that he missed the position or anything; it was nothing but a huge headache. Nevertheless, where demons were concerned, he still held a lot of power and only a remarkable few had the courage to go against him in all his three-hundred odd years as an inuyoukai.

Walking down the street, he tried to think of the many demons that could and would possibly do something like this.

He had virtually no new enemies in the past century for ever since he stepped down as Lord of the Western Lands, he had led a quiet existence. He hardly ever mingled with the youkais, much less the humans, unless it was absolutely necessary. It was only in recent years that he had taken to setting up a business because he needed something to occupy his time. As for his enemies of old, they were no longer a threat to him for he had eradicated them all. So, try as he might, he could not come up with a possible candidate who was reckless enough to do something as stupid as kidnapping his daughter.

His long legs soon brought him to Sakura Street, the place where Jaken was attacked and Rin was kidnapped. Although it was rather late at night, there were still quite a number of people on the particular street. A frown marred his face; detecting Rin's scent here would be a trying task indeed. There were too many humans around.

He took in a careful sniff and tried his very best to pick out Rin's scent from all the other scents in the area. Sesshoumaru's frown deepened into a scowl. His nose picked up many different scents; bread from the bakery nearby, a young woman's perfume, smoke from someone's cigarette - every infernal scent - yet the one that he was looking for eluded him. There were too many of them but it did not deter him in the least. Never once stopping, he kept walking down the street hoping to pick up something, anything that would lead him to his daughter.

Overhead, lightning lit up the night sky followed by a low rumble of thunder. Big, fat droplets of rain came falling down and people hurried by him in search of shelter. Sesshoumaru stood unmoving from the spot even as the rain fell harder and faster.

Turning his face upwards, he bared his fangs at the sky and let out a fierce growl. Yet that did nothing to stop the raindrops which showed no signs of stopping anytime soon from pelting his face mercilessly. It seemed like even the Gods were against him tonight. Attempting to pick up Rin's scent now that it was raining is virtually impossible.

He walked away. There is nothing more he could do here.

oOo

Once again, a dead silence greeted Sesshoumaru as he stepped into his house. The whole place felt lifeless, as if the very walls knew that the little girl was missing. She was the beam of sunshine that brightened up his dull and dreary life with her cheerful smiles and happy spirit. The little girl had squirmed her way into his heart and latched onto his very soul with her tiny hands. With her gone, it was as if a whole chunk of him had gone missing as well.

Although he was a Taiyoukai, there was nothing he could do to find her and save her. He had no clue as to where she is much less the one responsible. Everywhere he turned, he seemed to be facing yet another blank wall. For the first time in his life, he felt helpless.

Rin, his young daughter, the one whom he had sworn to protect for life, the one who was about to turn 6 next week, was now gone, taken from him and he … he had failed to keep her safe.

Walking into his daughter's room, he wondered about the identity of Rin's kidnappers. One thing puzzled him greatly. Till now, the kidnappers have not been in contact with him. If it was only for money did they abduct Rin, then they most certainly would have made their demands of him. Yet, there was no such thing. No phone call, note or whatsoever. Could it be that they wanted her for something else entirely? But what would a group of youkais do with a human girl - especially one that has connections to him?

He had no idea. These questions plagued his mind and irritated him. His headache was returning with a vengeance. Perhaps it was time to give someone a call.

oOo

The phone rang three times before someone answered it.

"Do you realize what time is it?" a gruff voice said.

"Of course," Sesshoumaru answered smoothly.

"This had better be important. What do you want Sesshoumaru?"

"Rin has been kidnapped by a bunch of youkais."

"WHAT?!?!"

It was so loud that Sesshoumaru had to hold the phone a good distance away from his ear. Either that or suffer from permanent hearing loss in his left ear.

"You heard me, Inuyasha."

"Who did it? When did it happen?"

"It occurred this evening, probably around 6pm. As to the one responsible or why they did it, this Sesshoumaru does not know."

A snort of disbelief sounded at the other end.

"You don't know? That's new. You weren't with Rin?"

"Use your brain, whelp. If I were, it wouldn't have happened at all. Jaken was with her and he got beaten up."

Then as an afterthought, he added, "Badly."

"Hah, that toad can't even win against a hanyou pup much less youkais."

Sesshoumaru emitted a low growl which caused Inuyasha to stiffen a little.

"As much as that is true, you will not speak of my servants in that manner."

"Keh. Whatever."

"This Sesshoumaru wants you to find out the identities of the youkais responsible and the one behind it all."

"You're kidding me right? How am I supposed to go around looking for – "

"Are you refusing, Inuyasha?" the older demon asked in a dangerous tone that spoke of a slow, painful death.

It was a tone that the younger half-demon knew only too well and would rather not be at the receiving end of it. He gulped before answering in his usual nonchalant way.

"Keh. Fine, I'll go hunt them down for you. Just don't expect me to get everything so soon and I'm not doing this for free, Sesshoumaru."

"This Sesshoumaru will see to it that you are appropriately rewarded. That is, if you complete your task."

With a slight smirk, he hung up leaving Inuyasha to growl at the phone about arrogant demons who think they own the world just because they were born full-blooded.

It may have been a little underhanded to threaten his half-brother in that manner, but it was necessary that the hanyou agree to do it for him. Inuyasha may be a half-blood, but he was one of the best spies Sesshoumaru ever had. As the matter on hand concerned Rin, it was of utmost importance that he could trust the spy not to double cross him. He wouldn't go so far to say that he trusted Inuyasha completely, but he knew Inuyasha well enough to know that betraying him would be the last thing the hanyou would ever think of doing.

Tossing his phone onto the bedside table, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Today, or rather, yesterday seeing that it was well past midnight, had been a very long, trouble-filled day. Outside, the wind howled as the rain continued pouring from the heavens.

oOo

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A/N: Thanks for reading and leaving me a review. I'm glad people like it. :) 


	5. Petal 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

"Good morning, Kaede!" she chirped as she entered the shop.

The old woman known as Kaede turned her head towards the voice and let out a smile.

"Ah, good morning Kagome."

Her gaze then fell on the little girl holding on to her hand, she said, "And good morning to you too, child."

Rin's eyes widened slightly before she hid herself behind Kagome mumbling a soft 'good morning'. Kaede chuckled at the young girl's antics.

Kneeling down so that she was at eye level with Rin, Kagome said, "Don't be afraid, Rin. This is just Kaede, my boss. She's very nice and friendly."

Rin looked shyly up at Kaede. At first glance, the old woman seemed a lot like the grumpy caretaker at the orphanage who was always scolding them. But now that she had a better look, she could see the obvious difference between the two of them. Where the old caretaker had a permanent frown on her face, Kaede had a kind smile which made her look less scary despite her eye-patch. Besides, if she is Kagome's boss that means all the flowers here belong to her, right? If she owned all the flowers, surely she can't be a mean person. Rin felt her fear evaporating slowly and she gave Kaede a smile.

"Rin is your name is it not?"

The young girl nodded.

"Do you like flowers Rin?" Kaede asked again.

The brown haired girl nodded again happily before saying, "Rin loves flowers. They are Rin's best friends!"

Kagome smiled at her answer. The younger girl reminded her so much of herself. In her mind, she could practically see a 6 year-old Kagome playing among the flowers in her mother's garden.

"What is your favorite flower Rin-chan?" Kagome asked.

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Sunflowers!"

"Really? They're my favorite too!" the older girl exclaimed.

Kaede watched the two girls in amusement. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that Rin is Kagome's younger sister. They were that similar. The only difference besides their age is that Kagome has black hair and blue eyes whereas Rin has dark brown hair and eyes. The older woman smiled to herself and shook her head. No one would believe that the two of them had been strangers up till last night. Even she would have found it hard to believe had Kagome not called her up and told her the whole story before asking for her permission to bring the little girl in to work with her for the day.

Perhaps this is what they call Fate.

The slight tinkle of a bell signaled that a customer had entered the shop. Telling Rin that she'd be right back, Kagome quickly stood up and went to serve the customer. Rin stood there watching Kagome quietly with her big brown eyes. Kaede could tell that the younger girl wanted to go to where Kagome was but at the same time was afraid to do so.

Bending down to look her in the eyes, Kaede asked, "Would you like to help me with making a bouquet, Rin?"

The girl's brown eyes widened.

"Can Rin really do that?"

"Of course, child. Come," she said taking Rin by the hand and leading her towards the counter which doubles as a worktable in the little shop.

Kagome watched the little girl helping Kaede with a bridal bouquet after the customer had left. Fortunately, Rin had opened up to Kaede and was no longer feeling apprehensive. From the way the younger girl hid behind her earlier, Kagome was half afraid that Rin would cling to her the whole day. This would only prove that last night's events had instilled a sense of fear towards people, or rather, strangers.

Fishing her mobile out of her jeans pocket, Kagome quickly dialed a number. Rin's father had to be found as soon as possible. The poor girl didn't have a mother already and Kagome certainly didn't want her thinking that her father did not want her anymore.

A mechanical voice greeted her instead of the usual ring tone.

"The number you have dialed is busy. Please try again later."

Blue eyes stared at the phone in disbelief. _First the number is not available, now it is busy?!?!? What the hell is he doing with his phone?!_ She huffed angrily. What was the point of having a mobile phone when people cannot contact you? That guy might as well not have one in the first place!

Not giving up so soon, Kagome punched in the digits again. _Dear Kami, let me get through to this guy for Rin's sake!_

The usual ring tone sounded in her ear.

oOo

Sesshoumaru glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was only slightly past 10am and already his day was going down the drain. He had spent most of the previous night worrying about his daughter and had barely slept. That wasn't the worst part seeing as being a demon; he didn't need that much sleep. What was worse is that he had fallen asleep sometime in the early morning only to be rudely awakened by his secretary calling to inform him that he is going to be late for a meeting.

Needless to say, the client whom he was supposed to meet had left by the time he reached his office stating in no uncertain terms that there would be no more business between them. To top it off, he had yet to receive any news regarding Rin. For all he knew, Rin could be lying dead in some gutter somewhere.

_No, Rin is safe, she said so,_ he thought, recalling the lady who had appeared in the dream he had last night.

Sesshoumaru's dream

He opened his eyes and the first thing that greeted him was the bright blue sky and some fluffy white clouds. Something heavy was on his chest and wanting nothing more than to get it off him; he sat up from where he had been lying on the grass. The thing rose with him. Glancing down, he saw that the heavy thing was actually a metal breastplate. He hadn't worn one for ever since he stepped down as Lord so it felt a little odd.

Sesshoumaru frowned to himself and stood up quickly. Amber eyes looked down at the clothes on his body - white silk haori with a sakura pattern, an equally white pair of silk hakamas and a yellow sash with a purple pattern. Two swords were attached to his left side. His eyes narrowed slightly. There was no mistaking it. This was how he dressed during the Feudal Era when he was the Lord of the Western Lands. But why he was wearing them now he had no idea. He clearly remembered storing every single item in a vault beneath his father's mansion about a century ago. _Am I dreaming?_

Not wanting to think about it, he looked at his surroundings. It appeared that he is in a garden for everywhere he looked, there were flowers of every shape, size and color. He didn't know that such a beautiful place could exist on earth and for a while he entertained the thought that he was in some sort of paradise.

A soft breeze blew around him, bringing with it the scent of a thousand flowers. He took in a deep breath and let their fragrance wash over him. There were more flowers than he could name here, but what amazed him was that their scents did not clash with that of their neighbor's or any other flower in the garden. Instead each individual scent mingled with one other, blending together to create a lovely perfume which brought peace to his soul. A small smile graced his lips. He felt like he was in heaven.

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

The soft voice startled him although he did not show it and he turned around to face the speaker. For as long as he had been here, he had assumed that he was alone for he could sense no one. Yet, there in front of him stood a lady. Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. He had no idea where she came from or how long she had been standing there and he did not like it. It was very unlike him to let someone approach him without his knowledge.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," said the young woman again, her voice gentle and melodious

Golden eyes looked at her. Still, he said nothing, merely giving her a slight nod to acknowledge her presence. From her clothing, he could tell that she belonged to the upper classes of society during the Feudal Era and wasn't of the serving class. She wore a simple yet elegant cream colored kimono, with a sakura pattern that resembled that on his haori. Briefly, he wondered if the woman had anything to do with him for the pattern on her kimono corresponded with his. It was somewhat disturbing as he did not even know who she is.

His gaze traveled to her face. She wasn't extremely hideous, nor was she breathtakingly beautiful. Nevertheless, there was something about her features that made it quite impossible for him to look away. The woman was pleasing to the eye, charming even. But, what caught his attention the most were her eyes. They were of the most unusual color, although he could say the same about his own. The young lady's eyes were of a bright sapphire, an eye color he had never seen before even in demons. However, the woman was no demon. Truth be told, Sesshoumaru didn't know whether she was a human or a demon for he could detect neither scent from her. She could be a goddess from heaven for all he knows.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he asked the first question that came into his mind, "Where is this place?"

"You're in my garden, Sesshoumaru-sama," she answered with a smile.

She walked towards where he stood. Kneeling down to smell a flower, she asked, "Beautiful, are they not?"

Sesshoumaru gave a nod. _But not as beautiful as you. _Immediately after that thought, he wanted to give himself a good kick.

"Why is this Sesshoumaru here, woman?"

"You seek the answers to your questions, do you not?" she queried again.

Standing up, she strolled slowly down among the flowers with him behind her, silently following. It wasn't long before her voice broke the silence between them.

"Do not worry, Sesshoumaru-sama. She is safe."

Puzzled, he asked, "Who is she?"

"Your daughter, Rin."

Amber eyes narrowed as he turned to look at the woman beside him. _How did she know about Rin? Could she somehow have a hand in Rin's kidnapping? _That sounded rather impossible even to him. Whoever heard of a kidnapper assuring you of your child's safety?

"She will return to you soon."

Sesshoumaru didn't know whether or not to believe her. If the woman knew that he doubted her words, she did not show it. Instead, she continued walking until she reached where the chrysanthemums were growing. Bending slightly, she picked one before straightening up and giving it a delicate sniff.

"I have no need to lie to you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, handing him the pure white chrysanthemum.

He took it wordlessly. Before he knew it, she had disappeared. It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air there and then.

"Who are you?" he asked softly to the flower in his hand.

End Dream

However, Sesshoumaru wasn't one to trust anyone easily especially one whom he had only seen in his dream, however charming she may be. Until he could see for himself that Rin was alright and well, he would take the lady's words with a pinch of salt.

A knock on his door brought him out of his musings.

"Come in." His voice sounded gruffer than usual. Abi gulped visibly.

"S – Sesshoumaru-sama, I have collected your suit from the laundry," she said, showing him the bag in her hands.

_Suit? Ah, yes. That suit._

"Leave it on my desk."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. By the way, Sesshoumaru-sama, your mobile is in the bag too," said his secretary before giving him a bow and leaving his room.

The minute the door closed behind her, he grabbed the bag and rummaged around for the missing phone. If he was anyone else, he would have given an exuberant cheer the minute his fingers found it. However, Sesshoumaru being the inuyoukai that he is only allowed a slight upturning of his lips.

Quickly he flipped the phone open and turned it on. Almost instantly a message appeared causing his amber eyes to widen by a fraction.

_27 missed calls? And from the same number?_

The number that was shown in the message was unfamiliar to him. It did not belong to anyone he knew of who had access to his private number. There was only one way to find out. He dialed the number.

Instead of the usual ring tone, all he heard was, "The number you have dialed is busy. Please try again later."

Sesshoumaru let out a low growl and ended the call. But before he could press the redial button, his mobile went off. The same number that he was trying to call not a minute ago was currently flashing across the small screen. Whoever it was is now calling him back.

With the press of a button, he answered the call.

oOo

* * *

A/N: Am I wicked or what::grins evilly:: Thanks to all of you for reading and for leaving me reviews. :) 

To:

LadyYome - they'll meet ... soon. oh and thanks for having such faith in my little fic. ::grins::


	6. Petal 6

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

The minute she heard a male voice on the other end instead of the usual mechanical tone that she had been getting, Kagome couldn't help but punch the air with her free hand while exclaiming "Yes!" rather loudly. That was something like a reflex action so she hadn't noticed what she had just done, just like she failed to notice that both Kaede and Rin were giving her queer looks.

Needless to say, the other person wasn't the least amused. The confounded exclamation of hers was very sudden and not to mention very loud. His ear was still ringing a little. Who would have thought that someone would shout into the phone instead of saying a normal greeting? The caller must be one crazy woman.

Gruffly he said, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Oh, sorry, it's just that I finally got through to you after trying for so long."

"Hn. Who is this?"

"Ah, my name is Higurashi Kagome, erm …you are Rin's father aren't you?" she asked hesitantly. _What was Rin's family name again?_

"Hn. How did you get this number?"

"Your daughter gave it to me," she replied.

"Who are you and why is my daughter with you?" he said coldly. Kagome could literally feel a shiver run down her spine as if someone had just dropped an ice cube down her back.

"W-Well, you see, your daughter was being pursued by some youkais and I sort of rescued her. I couldn't reach you so I took her home with me." She bit her lower lip before silently adding, e_ven though my flat mate didn't really like it._

"You rescued my daughter from youkais? Tell me, am I supposed to believe you?" he asked a little mockingly.

"Hey, of course! You think I would lie to you about it? You can come and see for yourself that your precious little daughter is safe and sound," retorted Kagome angrily.

_Seriously, what is wrong with him? Did he really think I would make up a story like this? Please, mister, I have better things to do than waste my time making up a story and trying to call you for half the night!_

"Where?"

"Huh? Where what?" asked Kagome, confused.

"Where is my daughter?"

"She's … playing with ribbons," she said, blue eyes glancing at the little girl at the counter.

It was Sesshoumaru's turn to be confused._ Playing with ribbons?_

"Anyway, you know Sunshine Street, near the university?"

"Hn."

"Yeah, come around to the florist there. The name of the shop is 'Petals'. It's just beside the – "

"What is Rin doing in a florist?"

Kagome rolled her blue eyes even though she knew that it was pointless for Sesshoumaru couldn't see it. She simply did it for the sake of doing it.

"I work here, mister. I brought Rin to work with me today because I can't leave her alone in my apartment."

"Hn. I'm on my way."

With that he flipped his phone close, ending the call in the process. His long legs were already making their way to the elevator.

Slightly confused at the sudden lack of sound from the other end, she tentatively said, "Hello?"

However, only silence greeted her. _What the … He hung up on me! That jerk!_

Kagome couldn't believe it. That was just downright rude! When she sees him later, she'll definitely tell him just how rude he was. Swallowing her anger at his apparent lack of manners, she went to inform Rin that her father is on his way.

oOo

'_Petals'. Florist on Sunshine Street. Let's see … clinic, video store … ah … there it is._ Rin was much nearer than he thought. Mentally, he blamed the dense population of the city which had hindered his sensing of Rin's aura. If this had happened back in the Sengoku Jidai, for instance, he would have detected the girl in an instant.

A pale hand pushed open the glass door causing a little bell to tinkle. The human woman seated behind the counter looked up with a smile on her face.

"Welcome! How may – "

"DADDY!"

The loud squeal was heard just a few seconds before something attached itself on to his left leg. Amber eyes looked down at the girl who was beaming at him, taking in her condition. Her left hand was sporting a small band-aid but other than that, she looked just fine. Thank the Kamis for that.

"Rin."

"Daddy came! Daddy really came!" she said, excitedly.

"Hn." _What? Did she think this Sesshoumaru wouldn't come for her?_

A woman approached him. With her graying hair pulled back into a bun and wrinkles on her face, she looked to be about sixty years of age. There was also an eye patch over her right eye and Sesshoumaru wondered for a moment what happened to it. Giving the woman a once over, he doubted that she had been the one on the phone earlier.

Smiling at him, she said, "You must be Rin's father."

As soon as she had spoken, he knew for sure that she was not the one who called him. The voice he had heard over the phone was the higher tone of a young woman, probably in her early twenties, whereas the one before him had a lower, more mature tone.

Fixing his amber eyes on her, he asked, "And you are?"

"I'm Kaede, the owner of this shop. Kagome asked me to keep an eye on Rin while she is out delivering some bouquets."

"Kagome?" That name rang a bell in his head.

"Yes. Kagome, one of my employees. I believe she called you this morning …" she paused, not knowing the man's name and hence couldn't continue.

"Kawamura. Kawamura Sesshoumaru."

"Yes, Kawamura-san. It was Kagome who called you regarding your daughter. Unfortunately she had to go out to deliver flowers to some customers."

Sesshoumaru nodded but said nothing.

"Perhaps you would like to wait for her return?" Kaede offered.

"No. This Sesshoumaru still has things to look into. We shall leave now. Please forward my thanks to your employee," he said to the old lady.

"Very well. I will do so, Kawamura-san," said Kaede with a bow.

He gave her a slight nod in return. Turning to the little girl at his side, he said, "Come Rin, we're leaving."

"We're not waiting for Kagome?" she asked, her big brown eyes gazing up at him.

"No, Rin," the demon said, his quiet voice leaving no room for argument.

The girl knew her father well enough to know that when he used that tone, no one argues with him. Giving Kaede a wave, she slipped her little hand into Sesshoumaru's larger one and followed him out of the shop.

Kaede watched them leave with interest. She could tell that Kawamura-san, Rin's father, is a demon from the markings on his face; they looked too regal to be tattoos made by a tattoo artist. Furthermore, the blue crescent moon upon his forehead indicated his position as a youkai of noble blood. If that wasn't enough, the color of his eyes and hair was a dead giveaway to his demonic heritage. Rin, on the other hand, had no such markings and only normal hair and eye color. In other words, Rin is a human and Kaede was pretty sure that the girl did not have any demonic blood in her.

_Shouldn't an offspring of a youkai be at least a hanyou? Could it be possible that Rin was adopted? _Kaede frowned at that. She has never heard of any demon adopting a human child and vice versa.

Another customer entered the shop, taking Kaede's thoughts away from the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Rin.

oOo

* * *

A/N: This chapter was supposed to be up last week before I left on a week-long holiday but some things got in the way so I could only get it out after I come home. Sorry for the wait (and for leaving you guys hanging on the cliffy). Thanks for all the reviews! 


	7. Petal 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

Kagome hurried up the grey marble steps and towards the main entrance. Her stomach gave out a low growl and she immediately lengthened her stride. After a brief struggle with the heavy glass doors, she walked towards the elevators.

… 5 … 6 … 7 …

She stifled a yawn as she watched each number light up. _For a building this tall, the elevator sure is slow._ Looking down at the bunch of roses in her arms, she grinned thanking the Kamis that this is the last bouquet. The sooner she delivers it, the sooner she can go get some lunch. The two pieces of toast she had for breakfast this morning has long since been digested.

… 11 … 12 … 13 …

A soft 'ding' announced her arrival at the fifteenth floor. _Finally,_ she thought as she stepped out of the elevator. The building has 25 floors and it was a good thing that she isn't going all the way to the top. She didn't want to know how long that'll take.

Fishing a piece of notepaper out of her jeans pocket, she quickly scanned through it again. A smile lit up her face. _Good. I'm at the right place. Now to look for the lucky girl. _She turned and walked towards the doorway which bore a sign that read 'Kawamura & Fujisawa'.

Her miko senses were tingling even before she crossed the threshold of the office. She shrugged her shoulders and ignored it. The youki she detected probably came from the youkais working in the office, no big deal. Glancing around her, she looked around for a receptionist or someone that resembled one. Finding none, she walked to the cubicle nearest her, where a brown haired girl was seated.

"Erm … excuse me, I have a bouquet here for a Miss Mizuki Anna. May I know where can I find her?"

"Anna? She's the redhead over there," the girl said motioning to another cubicle towards the center, her eyes on the flowers in Kagome's hands instead of on her person.

"Thanks."

The woman was so absorbed in her work that she didn't hear Kagome calling her name until the girl gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"What?!" she snapped, green eyes glaring at her, not at all pleased to have been interrupted.

_Eep. _Inwardly, Kagome cringed. On the outside however, she put on a cheerful smile.

"Hi. You're Miss Mizuki Anna right? I'm here to deliver these," she said, handing over the roses.

The woman's eyes narrowed before groaning, "Not again."

Kagome was a little dumbfounded at her response. _Not again?_ She really should get out of here soon.

"If you'll sign here, Miss Mizuki …"

The redhead grabbed a pen and scribbled something down before saying, "Do what you want with them girl, I don't want to see them. And you can tell that to the jerk who sent them too."

_This is … new._ Never has she encountered something like this before even though she had been delivering flowers for close to a year now. Seems like somebody just don't understand the word 'no' good enough. Kagome sighed as she made her way to the elevators again, roses still in her arms. Maybe she'll take them home later in the evening and brighten up her little living room.

Her mobile chose to ring at the exact minute the elevator arrived. Sticking her hand into her pocket, she tugged at her phone but it wouldn't come out. Kagome tugged again. It felt like something, a loose thread perhaps, was caught on the little accessory she hung on the phone. This time she gave a harder tug but still most of the phone remained in her pocket. Awkwardly she fumbled around for the irritating device that happened to be stuck somewhere in her jeans pocket while attempting to balance the huge bouquet and enter the lift all at the same time. Needless to say, she didn't notice the man coming out of the lift until she crashed right into him, her sneaker stepping on one of his expensive patent leather shoes.

"Human, remove your foot this instant unless you want this Sesshoumaru to remove it for you."

A hungry Kagome is never a happy Kagome. A hungry and irritated Kagome is worse. To top it off, the man was acting like a jerk. So what if she did step on his foot? It was an accident! He made it sound as if she did it on purpose! Her ringing phone was pushed clean out of her mind.

"Sorry you didn't avoid me so that I had to step on your foot, youkai!" she retorted, roughly pushing the bouquet, which had been blocking her view up till now, to the side so she can glare at him.

Golden eyes glared right back at her. It was outrageous! The human had the audacity to glare at him and not to mention speak to him in such a way. She didn't make a particularly terrifying picture, what with her small frame and huge bouquet in her arms, but it was still unacceptable behavior from someone so inferior nonetheless.

"Watch your tongue, wench!" he said coldly.

However, Kagome was unfazed.

"You watch yours too, demon!" she bit out, further stoking Sesshoumaru's anger.

_Kami, what is with the people here?! They all woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or something? Someone better teach them some manners!_

Kagome fumed as she brushed past the silver-haired youkai to press the 'Down' button once again. The sooner she gets out of this place the better. However, before she could take two steps, she found herself jerked backwards and staring up at amber colored eyes once again, courtesy of a clawed hand on her elbow.

"Hey, let go!"

"Wench, explain why are you carrying her scent!"

"I don't know what you're talking about so let go before I scream the place down, pervert!" she snapped out, trying to yank her arm out of his hand.

He let out a low growl as he tightened his grip on her, sharp claws pressed against her delicate skin. Any harder and he would be drawing blood.

"This Sesshoumaru will not repeat himself anymore after this. Why are you covered in Rin's scent?"

Kagome stopped her struggling and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Rin? Did you just say Rin?"

"Are you hard of hearing, woman?"

Ignoring his undisguised insult, she asked, "You don't happen to be talking about a young girl, 6 years old, with dark brown hair and eyes and wearing a pale yellow dress, do you?"

He nodded. That was certainly how he would describe his own daughter although he wasn't too sure about the color of her dress. If he wasn't mistaken, the girl did own a pale yellow dress.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked.

"Her father."

Blue eyes looked at him, skepticism evident in them.

"How old do you think I am, mister? Three?"

"This Sesshoumaru sees no advantage in lying to you, woman," he said icily. _How dare she doubt this Sesshoumaru's words!_

Kagome simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Come on, you're obviously a youkai and the Rin that I know is obviously a human. How can a youkai have a –"

"Rin is adopted."

"Oh. Well, that sort of makes sense," she said thoughtfully as Sesshoumaru fought the urge to roll his eyes.

A silent moment fell between the two of them before it was broken by Kagome.

"Hey, if you're really her father then you must have received my call this morning. I'm Higurashi Kagome. Ring any bells? Anyway, Rin is currently –"

"In my office." _So she is the human who saved Rin. That explains why she has Rin's scent all over her._

"You went to collect her already? Man, I didn't get to say goodbye to her," she said looking a little sad.

It struck him as odd why she would feel sad about not saying goodbye to someone whom she had only known for a day. Maybe he'll take her to his office to see his daughter. Besides, Rin did say the same thing not too long ago.

"Come," he said, pulling the young woman by her elbow behind him.

"Hey, where are you taking me? Let go!"

Sesshoumaru did exactly that at the same time she yanked her elbow free causing her to stumble one step backwards. Once again, Kagome glared at him.

"Who do you think you are pulling me around like that?"

"Did you not want to say goodbye to Rin, woman?" he asked, before turning and walking in the direction of his workplace.

Her blue eyes widened and she let out a squeal. Instantly he regretted his decision.

"Really? Great!" she cried, jogging up to walk beside him. Somehow, he found that he didn't particularly care when she fell into step beside him instead of behind him. Perhaps it was because she looked so much like Rin.

Once again, Kagome entered the offices of Kawamura & Fujisawa.

oOo

Rin sat at the huge mahogany desk with a few pieces of paper and a pencil in her small hand. This was her second attempt at drawing a sunflower like those she had seen in Kaede's shop for Kagome. Hearing the door open, she looked up and broke into a grin upon seeing her father. However, when she saw the person who had entered after her father, she hopped off the chair and ran straight towards the young woman.

"KAGOME!" she cried happily, hugging her legs tightly. The older girl was pretty sure the blood supply to her legs had been cut off.

"Rin-chan, I'm so glad to see you," she said, smiling and prying the girl off as gently as she could.

"Daddy found Rin, just like you said Kagome. And when Rin wanted to see Kagome Daddy found Kagome," Rin said, beaming up at her.

Kagome let out a short laugh, earning herself a quirked eyebrow from the demon. _That guy found me? Please. He was about to cut off my foot!_ However, she kept her thoughts to herself.

Grinning at the younger girl, she said, "Of course, Rin. He's your daddy."

She nodded happily and smiled at Sesshoumaru before turning her attention to the flowers in Kagome's hands.

The inuyoukai watched his daughter with something akin to curiosity in his eyes. Rin was interacting with the human woman as if they have known each other for a very long time. Never has he seen Rin so friendly with someone outside of his immediate family for there is a tendency for the girl to be shy around strangers.

_Could it be possible that they knew one another before this? Come to think of it, the woman, Kagome, looks somewhat familiar. Where have I seen her before?_

His thoughts, as well as Rin's chatter, was interrupted by the loud ringing of Kagome's mobile. Not two minutes later, the blue eyed girl was running out of Sesshoumaru's office as fast as her legs could carry her. However, she did leave her contact number as well as promises to keep in touch along with the bouquet of roses behind for a certain little girl who adored flowers.

Sesshoumaru fought back a groan when the door slammed shut. Watching Kagome and his daughter had made him forget to ask her about the ones who had kidnapped Rin. Mentally, he gave himself a kick. Now he would have to make use of the number she had given to Rin and lower himself to call a human woman.

oOo

* * *

A/N: Finally ... the meeting between Sesshoumaru and Kagome. :D 

To:

KnockKnock313 - thanks for pointing it out to me. sometimes i get carried away with the storyline and sort of forget about my grammar ::hangs head in embarrasment:: i'll be more careful from now on.

Kimster44 - i agree, he's such a jackass.

Serenity Voldemort Riddle - they've finally met (and about time too)::grins::


	8. Petal 8

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me at all. Sigh.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

"Remind me again why I should not just kill you where you stand?" a voice asked softly as its owner pressed the blade of his sword against the tender skin of the lesser demon's neck to emphasize his point.

"I-I'm really sorry, master. It will not happen again," the demon said, eyeing the sharp blade out of the corner of his eyes.

Soft chuckling filled the room and the demon trembled visibly.

"Again? Do you truly think I will be foolish enough to let you handle it another time? You who have failed to capture a mere human child." He chuckled again.

"Master, the rescue of the child was unforeseen. We would have had her if the other human had not interfered."

Light lavender colored eyes pinned their gaze on the horse youkai before them.

"The other human?" he drawled out.

"Yes, Hakudoshi-sama. My sources informed me that a miko rescued the girl and purified the three youkais I sent to obtain the girl."

An amused look crept upon Hakudoshi's features. _A miko? _There weren't that many of them around now, not that he cared. If anything, they are soon going to lose another. _That's just too bad, _he thought with a smirk. No way was he going to allow someone to foil his plan and yet live to tell the tale. It mattered not to him that the miko simply happened to be there when the kidnapping occurred. _Oh well, it's just her luck for being at the wrong place at the wrong time._

"Entei, I shall allow you one chance to redeem yourself. Capture the girl, Rin, and kill the miko. Fail me again and you shall find yourself missing your heart."

The demon looked up, grateful that his life had been spared. For a moment, he had thought that he wouldn't live to see another day.

"Yes, Hakudoshi-sama," he said before leaving the room with a deep bow. No way will he fail his master a second time.

oOo

A long, slender finger traced the rim of the wine glass. Red eyes looked at the small figure standing before him. To all outward appearances, the white haired demon seemed to be just an innocent child not even close to his teens. However, he knew better. The more than 400 year old, humanoid demon named Hakudoshi had the most calculating mind of all his offspring. A smirk formed on his lips. _What can I say? He learned from the best._

"Are you sure it wouldn't matter, Naraku?" asked Hakudoshi, effectively cutting off the hanyou's train of thoughts.

Naraku took a long sip of his wine and looked at the younger demon almost lazily before answering.

"We have waited for 500 years, haven't we Hakudoshi? What is a few more days compared to five centuries?"

His offspring merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"Whatever you say, Naraku," he said and left the hanyou to himself.

Once again, silence reigned in what the hanyou called his study. Removing himself from the plush armchair, he walked towards the windows and looked down at the bright lights of the city he now dwelled in. True, the place formerly known as Edo was his place of birth, but it was only less than six months ago that he had returned to set foot once again upon the soil of his homeland.

Naraku didn't miss his native country, never had and never will. It was just another place on earth. On the outside, it appeared to be proud and strong, but on the inside, it was so weak that anyone could easily crush it, just like how one crushes an annoying bug. That goes for the rest of the world too. The best part is he would be the one doing the crushing.

A smirk graced his handsome face. Soon, the world will be his to rule. Everyone, be they humans, demons or hanyous, will bow down to him. They will worship him like how they worship the gods. He will be powerful, so much more than even the most powerful of youkais – the last Taiyoukai of the West, Kawamura Sesshoumaru. He will be God.

Low, evil chuckles filled the room. It was simply exhilarating to think that finally he will lord over the arrogant dog. What, he wondered, will the great Sesshoumaru do when he finds out that it is none other than his daughter's blood that has given his archenemy power enough to defeat him? Naraku chuckled again. Perhaps he should consider draining the girl's blood right in front of the proud inuyoukai's very eyes. Sesshoumaru would certainly be one very interesting dog to watch then.

The hanyou turned away from the window and went to his desk. Pulling open a drawer, he took out a glossy ebony box and lifted its cover. There, sitting in the middle amidst burgundy colored satin was a small jewel. _The Shikon no Tama,_ Naraku thought as he picked it up and regarded it with something akin to admiration in his red eyes.

The jewel, with its dull pink surface mottled with grey, felt cold and lifeless to his touch. To all outward appearances, it looked like a dirty, worthless little bauble. No one would care to give it a second glance if they chanced upon it on the streets. However, that will change soon. As soon as the Shikon is awakened from the dormant state that it is in now, it will cease to be dull and lifeless. He remembered a time when the jewel was very beautiful, glowing softly with a clear pink light that turned into a lovely, shiny black when he touched it. Personally, he is of the opinion that the jewel looks better when black instead of pink.

His eyes regarded the object in his hand again. It was the meddling miko Midoriko's fault. If she had not sealed away the Shikon's powers following her death more than 500 years ago, the jewel would not have been reduced to this state and he would have gained the power he wanted five centuries ago. Nevertheless, all that belongs to the past now for the Shikon will be restored to its former glory and its powers returned in no time at all.

Yes, the Shikon no Tama is a powerful jewel, powerful enough to grant any one of his wishes. Not being a greedy man, Naraku has only one wish and that is to be powerful enough to dominate the world forever. His lips curled upwards in a smirk. Before long, the power of the Shikon will be released and when that happens, he, Onigumo Naraku, will be the most powerful being to ever walk the earth. Kami only knows that a strong, powerful ruler is just what the modern world needs.

Replacing the Shikon to its rightful place in the box, he left his study and walked down the dim hallway to his bedroom, a satisfied smile on his face.

For half a millennium, he bided his time and waited patiently for the appearance of the human who will be able to wake the Shikon no Tama. No ordinary human will do for only the human girl born at the stroke of midnight on the night of a lunar eclipse that happens only once in 500 years will possess blood strong enough to wake the jewel. Who would have thought that the girl whose blood is capable of breaking the seal Midoriko placed on the Shikon is Kawamura Rin, the girl adopted by Kawamura Sesshoumaru, the Taiyoukai of the West and his archenemy? The irony of it never ceased to amuse him. Oh yes, he just might drain the girl's blood in front of her father.

He will be having sweet dreams tonight.

oOo

* * *

A/N: Enter the evil guy! Short little evil chapter here. As for the next chapter, it will be out as soon as I am done writing it ... which is erm, soon, I hope. Thanks for reading and for leaving me those reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.

To:

Serenity Voldemort Riddle - I'm glad you're such a happy reviewer b'cos a happy reviewer (you) means a happy author (me). ::grins::

kyekye - Don't you just want to pound some manners into Sesshoumaru?

EyeOfDlareme - Yes, Sango will be showing up somewhere in the future. Erm ... stay tuned?

LadyYome - I'm really glad to know that you're a big fan of this story. I shall try to update real fast.


	9. Petal 9

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me. The same goes for the Guinness Book of Records.

A/N: This chapter is a re-post. Nothing major, just some grammatical corrections someone was kind enough to point out.

* * *

oOo

A pair of bright amber eyes lay open in the dark, staring up at the plaster ceiling overhead. Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment as he listened carefully for any foreign sounds around the house. Satisfied when he found none, he fell to thinking, something he does often on quiet nights like this.

He had met with the young woman, Kagome, a couple of hours ago with a lot of questions in mind at a 24-hour fast food outlet, two doors down from her workplace. If it were up to him, they would be somewhere, anywhere instead of the noisy, teenager filled place which smells of French fries and artificial meat. He did suggest another place but the wench had insisted on the fast food joint as, to put it in her own words, there is no way in hell is she going to starve while she goes all the way across town just because a dog demon is being bitchy about having burgers for dinner.

In the end, he had to go. It was just like she said, if he wanted the answers, he had to go to wherever she was. A slight frown creased his brow. It really wouldn't do to have his thoughts peppered with things the wench said and in a word for word order too. A sigh escaped him. If it weren't for Rin, the girl wouldn't even have a minute of his time.

-- Flashback --

"And that's it."

Sesshoumaru watched her intently the whole time she was speaking. Everything about her, from her scent right down to her body language, was normal. Absolutely nothing was giving off the signal that she was lying to him so that must only mean one thing: the girl was telling the truth.

Kagome fidgeted a little in her seat, the look he was giving her is very unnerving, to say the least. It wasn't like one of those perverted leers that she got occasionally from some guys in her university. Stares like those she could handle, however his was different. His stare was more analytical, as if he was taking her apart with his gaze to see if she had, in any way, lied to him. She didn't like it one bit.

_Well then, two can play at a staring game_. And that was exactly what she did, as childish as it may seem.

Kagome managed to stare at him for exactly 1 minute and 37 seconds without blinking before a something that sounded suspiciously like someone clearing his throat interrupted her intense concentration. Oh well, so much for trying to stare her way into the Guinness Book of Records.

"I do believe that it is rude to stare at someone," Sesshoumaru remarked casually.

She blinked twice before what he said registered in her mind.

"What? Why you –"

He cut her off before she could proceed any further.

"Do you know what species the youkais were?"

"They feel like horses to me, young ones. I don't think they're as old as you are."

"Did they speak of a boss or were they acting independently?"

"I'm not too sure about that," she answered after a moment's pause. "I don't recall them saying anything like that, but it didn't look like they were acting independently."

"Hn."

"Hey, why are you interrogating me?"

He looked at her with a blank expression and an arched eyebrow.

"I believe that's how one obtains answers to one's questions, human."

"The name's Kagome, youkai," she said pointedly while purposefully slurping the last of her soda loudly. It annoyed him, she could tell, so that is exactly why she did it.

"The name's Sesshoumaru, Ka-go-me," he retorted smoothly. Wait. He did not just give the wench permission to address him by his name only. He did not do that.

Kagome rolled her eyes, unfazed.

"Whatever. If you're quite done with questioning me, perhaps you would be so kind as to let me leave now? I have an 8 o'clock class to get to tomorrow, Sesshoumaru."

He did.

-- End Flashback --

Yes, he distinctly remembered giving the woman the liberty to call him by his first name. Why would he do something like that, he hardly knew himself. However, that is not important. The important thing now is that she had provided him with some information as to the identity of Rin's kidnappers. They weren't much but still, they were rather vital. _Horse demons, huh?_

Yet, with the information came more questions, one whole truckload of them in fact. One would have thought that he would have all the answers after spending a good part of an hour questioning the girl but to his dismay, all he has now are more questions. Questions that he couldn't even begin answering, questions that puzzled him greatly.

It was like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle with no matching pieces to begin with.

First of all, the girl, Kagome, had no knowledge of a boss being involved. However, Jaken did mention something about one and he knew full well that Jaken would never ever lie to him. What Sesshoumaru wants to know right now is who this so-called 'boss' is. Horse demons are, for the most part, rather docile youkais who only harmed another being when threatened. And to the best of his knowledge, Rin would never threaten a horse youkai; the girl couldn't look intimidating even if she tried. So who would send out three young horse youkais to kidnap his daughter?

Why Rin? As far as he knew, Rin was just like any other mortal child except for the fact that she was raised by him, a youkai. She possesses no supernatural powers or whatsoever, though. There is nothing about her that could have attracted the attention of a demon. Unless it wasn't exactly her the youkai was targeting but him.

_Is this Sesshoumaru really the cause of Rin's attempted kidnapping?_ Somehow that train of thought seems more comprehensible to his mind. For centuries now, weaker demons have lusted after his power and have strived to bring him down but none did succeed, obviously. Could it be that a demon out there wanted to bring him down by kidnapping Rin? That is certainly not impossible.It is merely foolish on the other demon's part.

There is no doubt that when the one responsible is found, he will suffer greatly. No one harms what is under his protection and gets away with it, alive.

oOo

Sesshoumaru tapped his clawed finger against the cloth covered table. The hanyou is late, as usual. Why Sesshoumaru bothered being on time around him was simply unfathomable. _Habits die hard I suppose. _Amber eyes glanced, for the umpteenth time, at the stainless steel watch around his wrist. _Five minutes, if he's not here by then, I'm – _

"Sorry, traffic," a voice said before its owner plopped into the seat opposite his.

"I was expecting a more creative excuse, Inuyasha," said Sesshoumaru, sarcasm dripping with every word.

"Keh," replied the younger half demon. "What do you want, Sesshoumaru?"

"A nice long chat with my dear brother," the older demon replied sarcastically before his voice turned hard. "Information, brat. Now."

"I knew you would never be that nice," the hanyou replied with an injured sniff. "But can I at least have something to eat before I tell you? I'm starving."

Before Sesshoumaru could reply, Inuyasha had already flagged down a passing waiter and ordered his lunch.

"Not having anything, Sesshoumaru?" asked Inuyasha.

"I've eaten," was the reply, which was partially true. The inuyoukai had eaten but that was several hours ago and only two pieces of toast. As tempting as Italian food may be, having lunch with Inuyasha just didn't appeal to him.

Slowly sipping his coffee, he watched as Inuyasha devoured his spaghetti with meatballs. The hanyou looked as if he had not eaten in months. Hiding a smirk behind his cup, Sesshoumaru figured that if the younger half-demon were to enter an eating competition, he would most certainly beat all the other contestants hands down.

Halfway through his meal, Inuyasha looked up with a rather thoughtful look. Well, as thoughtful as he can be with a meatball dangling from the fork which was on the way to his open mouth.

"The ones that were sent to kidnap Rin were –"

"Three young horse youkais who got themselves purified to Hell by a miko."

An incredulous look appeared on Inuyasha's face as his gold colored eyes widened. Did his brother turn into a mind reader and nobody bothered to inform him?

"H-How did you know?"

"The miko told me," Sesshoumaru replied, his tone giving implying that Inuyasha is extremely stupid to have asked such a question.

This time Inuyasha's eyebrows shot all the way up to meet his hairline._ The miko told him. _If he had not been in contact with the miko, she wouldn't have been able to tell him, right? This really came as a surprise to the half-demon for he knew that Sesshoumaru rarely, if not never, associates himself with females especially the human ones.

"Is that all you have for me Inuyasha?" asked Sesshoumaru in a bored tone.

"Keh, of course not!" the hanyou replied before swallowing the last of his spaghetti.

"Keep a close watch on Rin. They will strike again."

A sense of déjà vu shot through Sesshoumaru. _Strange, _he thought, _someone said the same thing to me but I can't recall who._ Deciding to leave that thought for later, he fixed his amber gaze on his half-brother.

"Who is this 'they'?"

"Hiko and his cronies."

The inuyoukai narrowed his eyes. The name was unfamiliar to him and there are only two possibilities to explain it. The first one being Hiko, is a demon much younger than Inuyasha and the second one being Hiko, an old but insignificant demon. Either way, they are not anyone important. Kami knows that Sesshoumaru never deals with those he considers not worth his time. Nevertheless, whoever this Hiko may be, he will have hell to pay to even think of trying to harm what is under his protection.

_This Sesshoumaru can think of many different ways to make him pay. Oh yes, and pay dearly he shall. _

Inuyasha felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he saw an evil smirk make its way onto his half-brother's lips. He didn't want to even begin imagining what will happen to Hiko when Sesshoumaru gets his claws on him. _Someone is in for some torturing, and soon. _

oOo

* * *

A/N: Chocolate chip cookies for anyone who can guess the one who said "Keep a close watch on Rin. They will strike again." to Sesshoumaru. Thank you for reading and reviewing. :D

To:

Kagome Lady of Darkness - I'm glad you loved the story.

KnockKnock313 - You know what, I rather liked writing about the evil dood in the previous chapter. Maybe I'll have him make a few more appearances soon. ::grins evilly::

Serenity Voldemort Riddle - Thanks a bunch for the cookies::munches on cookie::

sorata-chan - I'm glad you enjoyed reading the evil chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D

numberoneklutz - Aaa...you'll have to stick around to find out the answer to your question. I'm evil, ne?


	10. Petal 10

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

"_Keep a close watch on Rin. They will strike again."_

Inuyasha said it during their meeting earlier but Sesshoumaru knew for a fact that he did not hear it first from the hanyou. Someone else beat him to it. The question is who? An image of a woman appeared unbidden in his mind. She seemed oddly familiar as if he had seen her somewhere.

Then it struck him. It was her, the woman he saw in his dreams last night, although when he fell asleep and started dreaming he couldn't say. Slowly but surely, the scenes of the dream became more vivid in his mind.

-- Sesshoumaru's dream --

Fluffy white clouds against a bright blue sky greeted him the minute his eyes opened. Dimly he noted that it couldn't be possible to have such a view of the sky from his bedroom unless his eyes could pierce through thick layers of plaster and concrete. Slowly he sat up and cast a careful glance to his surroundings. From where he sat, he could see a field of flowers that stretched all the way to the horizon. Recognition dawned on him. He had been here before.

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

He turned towards the voice which came from his left and saw her. She looked just as he remembered her - the same cream colored kimono, the same long ebony hair and the same bright sapphire eyes. Why he could not detect her presence prior to her calling his name, he did not know. Vaguely he wondered if she could cloak her aura and mask her scent.

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

To his surprise, she now stood less than two steps away from him. He was aware that she had just invaded his personal space but somehow he didn't feel threatened at all. It was as if he had been around her for a long time and was comfortable with such an intimate distance between them. Sesshoumaru frowned slightly at that thought. _This Sesshoumaru don't remember being intimate with anyone, ever._

A small fair hand appeared in his line of view and his gaze followed her extended hand all the way up to her smiling, heart-shaped face. Sesshoumaru being Sesshoumaru, ignored her offer and stood on his own. However, he couldn't resist looking at her out of the corner of his eye, just to see her reaction.

Amber eyes widened slightly as he took in her reaction. The woman had the lower part of her face hidden behind her kimono sleeve but from the obvious shaking of her shoulders, he knew that she was laughing soundlessly at him. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her. How dare she laugh at him!

"That was just so like you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, her face slightly pink from all the laughing.

_What? _The way she said it sounded like she was anticipating a reaction like that from him. Was he really that predictable? _Impossible! _The woman simply knew him too well. That didn't sound very right to him. How could she know everything about him when he didn't know anything about her at all in the first place?

"Woman, who are you?"

Sapphire eyes looked at him in unconcealed amusement.

"You know who I am, Sesshoumaru-sama."

In a flash, Sesshoumaru had one hand wrapped around her neck, sharp claws ready to pierce her smooth porcelain skin at a moment's notice.

Lowering his face to only a few inches away from hers, he glared straight into her eyes and growled out, "Do not presume that you can trick this Sesshoumaru, wench!"

The kimono clad woman merely smiled as she gently but firmly removed his fingers from her neck. The inuyoukai didn't know how she managed to do so but less than a minute later his hand was in hers and nowhere near her neck. Dimly, he noted how warm her small hand felt.

"You know very well that I am not lying, Sesshoumaru-sama."

That was true; he could sense no deceit from her. Truth be told, he could sense nothing, not even anger which was to be expected after his rough handling of her. All he felt was a warm, peaceful feeling that made him want to purr, not that he would do anything as humiliating as that.

A breeze blew across the field, strong enough to ripple the grass and sway the flowers but not strong enough to break them. The zephyr picked up a long lock of ebony hair, blowing it teasingly across her face. He watched as it caressed and tickled her rosy skin before she reached a hand up to tuck it behind her ear. The space her small hand had just vacated suddenly felt cold and lonely.

Turning slightly so that she faced the field, she tilted her head upwards before closing her eyes.

"It's such a lovely day, is it not, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hn," he replied, letting his amber gaze fall upon the field of flowers spread out in front of them.

"It's so sad that not everyday can be as lovely as today," she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

His eyes moved of their own accord back to her face, studying her carefully.

"What do you mean?"

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked directly into his.

"Danger is upon us, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Explain yourself," he demanded in a quiet voice. _Us? Does that mean that she is in danger too?_

"Keep a close watch on Rin. They will strike again."

His eyes narrowed into slits once again. It appears that someone is really desperate to get his or her hands on Rin. But who? Is that someone out to get this woman too?

Before he knew it, he blurted out, "Are you in danger as well?"

Her answer was a sad smile before she disappeared.

-- End Dream --

Unconsciously, he clenched his right hand into a tight fist as a growl made its way past his lips before he could stop himself. Somehow the thought that someone would intentionally harm Kagome didn't go down well with him. A frown creased his smooth brow and marred his features. Since when did he know the woman's name? And why that name out of all the names in the world?

_Petite frame … heart-shaped face … long dark hair … sapphire eyes … You know who I am, Sesshoumaru-sama … sapphire eyes …_

Sesshoumaru bit back a gasp. How could he have missed it? The physical resemblance between the woman who had appeared in his dreams and the one who had saved his Rin was very obvious. However, being the logical demon that he is, he would need to have more evidence before he can be thoroughly convinced. Sesshoumaru had a nagging suspicion that the woman would have left clues about her actual identity in the dreams.

Briefly, he ran over the dreams that he had. Two things stood out among everything else.

First, he met her in a field of flowers. She looked very much at home amidst them, as if she belonged there. _Flowers. _Kagome worked as a part-time florist. She deals with flowers everyday. Second, her attire, and not to mention his, was obviously of the Feudal Era, a time more than 500 years ago. It hinted at something ancient, something that is uncommon these days. _Something ancient and uncommon. _Kagome is also a miko, a practitioner of the ancient arts, an uncommon practice in the modern world.

Everything clicked. Mentally, he chastised himself for not realizing it sooner. It was Kagome he had been dreaming about.

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright. _Kagome is in danger too!_

oOo

* * *

A/N: Now we know who said it, ne? I'm trying my best to write as much as I can before my new semester starts but it looks like my best isn't very good. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

To:

LittleFoxDemon - Because this is a SessKag story, this idiosyncraticbug WILL make them fall in love even if I have to drag Sesshoumaru into the relationship kicking and screaming or die trying. ::grins::

Kimster44 - Here's your cookie ::hands out cookie:: I tried to get the one with the least sugar in it. :D

hotang1742 - Yup! And here's your cookie!

KuroxTenshi - Well ... technically yeah so you get a cookie too. :D

L.M Kitsune - Yes it was, so here's a cookie for you. And yeah, I so agree with you that Sesshoumaru needs to have his behind kicked. HARD.

kyekye - Woah ... you gave four answers so do I give you a quarter of the cookie? Hehe, just kidding. You still get the whole cookie for getting it right. ::grins::

Serenity Voldemort Riddle - ::blush blush:: I simply wrote what I imagined Sesshoumaru to be like in situations like these. Glad you liked his characterization. :D


	11. Petal 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. It should be very obvious by now.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

"I heard you want the miko killed, Hakudoshi."

A lavender eye swiveled to his direction, suspicion evident in his eyes.

"How did you know?" he asked sharply.

"Now, now, no need to get so worked up. Naraku himself told me. So I guess it's true, huh?"

Unconsciously, the humanoid demon's shoulders relaxed a little. He shouldn't have suspected the human in the first place for even Naraku trusts him completely.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I suggest that you get Entei to do it personally or someone much stronger than a couple of his underlings," was the amiable reply.

"Why?"

"Didn't you know that the miko managed to completely purify the three demons you sent a few days back on her own?"

Hakudoshi narrowed his eyes.

"What are you getting at, Fujisawa?"

"Normal demons will be no match against someone with such strong spiritual powers. You're better off sending your best warrior against her so that you won't fail again. Naraku may not look it but he's rather annoyed that you've failed such a simple mission when you've never failed before."

The white haired humanoid demon looked sulky for a moment. If Fujisawa hadn't known any better, he was prepared to swear that Hakudoshi just pouted.

"As if I do not know that."

"So," the man asked conversationally, "who are you sending out now?"

Hakudoshi thought for a moment. Perhaps he should heed the man's advice and send out his best warrior. Could Entei survive the miko's attacks if he sent him? Or would he get purified as well? The horse demon was pretty useful at times, so it really wouldn't do to lose him. Who could possibly emerge from a fight with the miko with minimal injuries or better still, unscathed? Who could possibly withstand the miko's purifying energy?

His eyes fell upon the dark-haired young man seated on the couch across him. The corners of his mouth lifted to form a small smirk. _Perfect!_

"Fujisawa, perhaps it is now time for you to show us your capabilities."

The young man smiled an amused smile at Hakudoshi.

"You want me to kill her?"

"Of course. You're a human; her purifying energy will never harm you. Besides, you have holy powers of your own. You're the perfect choice, Fujisawa."

"Oh well," he said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, "I guess it's up to me then." _Just what I wanted._

oOo

A dark-haired man leaned his elbows on the balcony railings, a half empty can of beer in his hand. He knew it was much too early for him to be drinking but he didn't care. It wasn't as if he had anything else to do right now, having just got off work. The sky outside turned a dull orange tinged with dark pink as the sun began its descent.

Idly he listened to the noises coming from the street five stories below him – the sharp honk of a car's horn, the loud hum of a truck's engine, the piercing vroom of a motorcyclist revving up his machine; they all melded together into one dizzying cacophony. Despite that, the din outside only made the silence in his apartment stand out so much more. Briefly he wondered how the demons with their hypersensitive hearing managed to stand the city's noise when he, a mere human, could hardly bear it at times. He made a mental note to ask Sesshoumaru about it tomorrow.

Sesshoumaru, the last Taiyoukai of the Western Lands. He had been working for the demon lord for six years now and recently, he just got himself a promotion. He, Fujisawa Miroku, is now the proud new partner of Sesshoumaru's accounting firm. _Sesshoumaru must really like me, _he thought with a wry smile.

Miroku took a long drag of his beer, relishing in the way the cool liquid ran down his throat and warmed him from the inside out. Suddenly he found himself wishing for someone to keep him warm instead of the beer, someone he could look forward to returning to after a long day at work, someone who would love him.

But who would want, much less love, a man like him? That was the reason why he contented himself with brief flings and one-night stands. Love would never be his. He was, and still is, a cursed man. No self-respecting girl would ever care for him. _Except for her, _his mind silently reminded him. He downed the rest of his beer in one gulp.

How could he forget her?

-- Flashback --

It has been seven days since he left the last village and five days since he wandered into this forest. Five whole days and he had yet to make it out of the forest, not that he was complaining or anything. Walking under the shade of the tall trees was definitely better than walking on a long dusty road with the sun glaring down on your head. However, there was no knowing what creatures took up residence in the forest so he had to take extra care not to call unwanted attention upon himself. He sent a silent prayer up to Buddha to let him make it out of this forest safe and sound.

He must have said the prayer wrongly because no sooner had he said it than a huge boar youkai came barging right at him. There was only time enough for him to raise his arm to prevent the demon from biting him into half. Apparently it was the wrong arm for what followed was a sickening crunch, the loud utterance of a curse no holy man should ever know and a lot of blood, his blood. He had meant to raise the arm holding his Shakujo but in the commotion he raised the wrong arm instead.

Nevertheless he had recovered his wits quickly enough and fought back before the youkai could think about having fresh monk flesh for dinner. He found out the hard way that fighting one-handed with an open wound dripping with blood against a demon is no easy task. The boar youkai took advantage of his handicap to rip him several new ones with its tusks. Despite the weakness and dizziness caused by the blood loss, he somehow managed to deliver some rather serious blows to the demon causing it to flee deep into the forest. He prepared to give chase but before he could take two steps, he fell to the forest ground, unconscious.

When he regained some semblance of consciousness, he felt like his body was on fire and was vaguely aware of a cool hand pressed softly against his forehead. He struggled to sit up but a firm hand on his shoulder pressed him back down again.

"You shouldn't be moving around, Houshi-sama," a soft female voice said.

Slowly he lifted his heavy eyelids to find a lovely face looking down at him. With her rosy, soft looking skin and wide, brown eyes gazing down at him in concern, she looked like a bodhisattva. If it weren't for the teeth clenching pain he felt on his arm, thigh and shoulder, he was prepared to swear that he had died and gone to heaven.

"How are you feeling, Houshi-sama?" she asked.

What came out of his lips was only an odd sounding croak. He sounded worse than a toad with a sore throat. She offered him some water and he tried to raise his head to drink. However, he only managed to get it two inches off the ground before he felt dizzy once again and let his head fall back down with a thump. Not wanting him to injure himself any further, she had helpfully elevated his head by placing it on her lap before bringing the water to his lips. It was the most delicious thing he ever had.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, more often than not staying awake just long enough for the girl to get some food into him before he blacked out again. It didn't take long for him to lose count of the days and nights that had passed but he reckoned that he had been lying there for close to a week now.

During that period, the girl stayed by his side, leaving only to hunt for food or to get water. She took care of him like a mother would a sick child. She talked to him and he listened, well, whenever he was awake enough to listen that is. The girl told him about her life, her work as a demon exterminator, her childhood, her family, everything. Most of the time her voice was light and happy but there were times when she sounded very sad although she tried to hide it from him. It was during those times that he wanted so much to hold her in his arms and comfort her, but sadly he couldn't. Even thinking about moving hurt so he settled for covering her hand with his.

It was on the one night when he was at his worse, what with the fever running higher than usual and the pain more intense, that the boar demons came upon them. They stood there, three fully grown male boar youkais against a small human female and a heavily wounded man. He attempted to push his upper body up using his elbows but was held in place by a hand on his chest.

"It's okay, Houshi-sama. I can handle this. I'm a taijiya, remember?" she said with a reassuring smile.

With that she left him to go fight the demons alone and with only a wakizashi for defense. Not far off, sounds of the fight began drifting to his ears – loud grunts, thunderous stomps and shrill squeals. He prayed fervently to every single Buddha in existence for her safety.

What seemed like a few hours later, the sounds died down gradually and the forest returned once again to the silence it was accustomed to. Paying no heed to either the pain he felt or the dizziness he experienced, he anxiously tried to push himself up when a pair of small hands pushed him back down again.

"You … you shouldn't be … moving … Houshi … sama."

Violet eyes looked up into her brown ones. Although she was smiling her usual smile, he could tell that something was very wrong somewhere. Her face was extremely pale and she was wheezing as she spoke. Before he could say anything, her lips moved to speak again.

"Take … care … Hou … shi … sama."

She ended the sentence by pitching forward suddenly, her head falling on to his chest. He was shocked, to say the least. Gingerly, he lifted his hand and placed it on her back. Warm, sticky, viscous liquid met his palm. _No! _He refused to believe it as he brought his hand into view. Blood coated his entire palm and several rivulets snaked down the length of his arm. It was her blood. Disregarding everything else, he shook her shoulder while croaking out things that sounded vaguely like "Wake up!"

Wake up she certainly didn't. By morning, her body was already cold.

-- End Flashback --

Miroku crushed the empty beer can in his hand as he remembered her.

In his mind he could still see her smiling down at him as she wiped the sweat from his brow. He remembered how she had sacrificed her own kimono to make bandages for his wounds, leaving her with no other clothing except her taijiya outfit. He remembered how she refused to talk to him until he let her feed him. He remembered how animated she became when she talked about the new weapon she would be receiving when she returned to her village – Hiraikotsu, a large boomerang bone. He remembered how she had smiled reassuringly at him before rushing off to prevent the boars' from attacking him.

Even now, when close to 500 years have passed, he never forgot her face. The lovely image of the girl with the rosy, heart-shaped face, cherry pink lips, eyes the color of chocolate and long dark brown hair was forever with him. She was the only girl who found it in her heart to care for a cursed stranger. She cared enough to risk everything for him, and that was exactly what she did. She gave up her life for him.

And he never knew her name.

oOo

* * *

Translation: 

Shakujo - the holy staff that Miroku carries  
Wakizashi - a blade which is similar to the katana (Japanese sword) but shorter

A/N: Halfway through this chapter, I was tempted to leave Miroku to die in the forest because he was giving me a whole lot of trouble when I tried to write about him.

On another note, classes have officially began and I have a timetable from hell. Anyway, I will be getting busier now so updates may be less frequent but I will try my best to get at least one chapter out a week. Thank you for reading and for leaving me a review. They mean a lot to me. ) Oh, and I can't believe I have more than 50 reviews already. It was much more than I anticipated initially. Thank you all of you!

To:

CobaltHeart - lol...I'm glad you liked the Sesshoumaru in dreams part. I spent a lot of time on them mainly because I don't really know how Sesshoumaru would act in a dream (that is, if he ever dreams).

Serenity Voldemort Riddle - I made this chapter slightly longer than the rest. Hope you enjoyed it. And is Sess going to save Kagome? I really hope so but there's really no knowing where my muse may lead me. ::evil grin::

numberoneklutz - hmmm...you'll have to continue reading to find out if Kagome knew Sesshoumaru in the Feudal Era.

KnockKnock313 - ::wipes sweat off brow:: Thank God I managed to not ruin the dream sequence and people actually liked it.

Nekokyttin - Thank you! I'll need all the luck I can get to survive this semester! Don't worry, I won't abandon this fic halfway and leave you guys hanging for months.

acechi-anghel - hehe...I liked what you said "...a cool awesome person with a sadistic yet not overly quality ...". It had me grinning (evilly) the whole morning.


	12. Petal 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The same goes for the Rescue Rangers.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

Sango hummed softly to herself as the soles of her shoes beat a steady rhythm against the pavement. A light breeze touched her face, bringing a small smile to her lips. The cool evening air was definitely a refreshing change after this afternoon's heat. Perhaps, one could even go so far as to say that this was the main reason she preferred to walk home whenever she was on the evening shift.

Although it was only slightly past 9 o'clock in the evening, the street was practically empty. Once in a while, a car or a bus would pass her by but that was all. Most people would find the silence unnerving but to the brown haired girl, it was normal. Having worked in the area for close to a year, she had gotten used to walking alone at night on the quiet street. Besides, what is there to be afraid of?

Taking a quick look at her watch, she picked up her pace. A hot, relaxing bath is definitely in order for she had spent most of the day running around delivering flowers. She preferred staying in the shop and make bouquets but as she was the only one available for deliveries in the evening, she had to do it. _Lucky Kagome, she got the morning shift today._

Idly she wondered what her best friend was currently doing. They both had a test coming up next week so she supposed the girl would be studying for it. _The test, _she groaned silently. She still had three chapters or so to go through but even thinking of studying was enough to make her yawn.

_No! I mustn't think that way. I love Language and Civilization, yes, that's it. I really, really love Language and Civilization. It's my favorite subject, not at all boring. _There was no time to even stop the yawn that had her eyes brimming with tears from taking place. _Guess there's no point in lying to myself, _she thought with a wry grin.

Suddenly, a sense of unease pervaded her entire being. It sent little shivers running down the entire length of her spine and caused goose bumps to spring up on her arms. Even the hair at the back of her neck stood on end. She had a feeling that someone was watching her every move from the shadows. Instinctively, she hugged her sling bag closer to her body. She may not have heard of snatch thefts occurring around the area, but she decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Sango had not walked five paces when she heard something that sounded very suspiciously like footsteps behind her. Discreetly, she listened carefully just to make sure that she wasn't hearing things. True enough, she could just make out the soft padding of someone else's feet against the cement walkway besides her own.

The brown haired girl quickly lengthened her gait. To her dismay, the footsteps behind her seemed to be keeping the same pace as well. Her breath hitched in her throat. The one following behind her seemed more like a stalker rather than a regular snatch thief now. But who would want to stalk her? Suddenly it hit her and she clapped her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. _It must be a rapist, _she thought as she broke into a run.

_Don't look back, keep running, don't look back_ …

Sango chanted it over and over again like a mantra as she ran, willing her head not to turn. Loud thumps sounded against the pavement where running feet hit them till she couldn't really make out which ones belonged to her and which ones belonged to the other person. Little beads of sweat made their appearance on her forehead and slid down her cheeks, but whether they were due to her fear or her impromptu workout, she had no idea.

A wave of terror washed over her; she just knew that she wasn't running fast enough. She couldn't go any faster for already her legs are tiring and every breath came out as short, erratic pants. Any time now the one behind her would catch up to her and grab her before hauling her off to an alley to do Kami knows what to her.

_Don't look back, keep running, don't look back_ …

However, as always curiosity managed to get a better hold of her instead of her rational mind, so she turned her head. A frown appeared on her heart-shaped face and she stopped running abruptly. Brown eyes swept up and down the whole stretch of road she just ran until where it ended in the horizon. Except for a solitary cat out for an evening stroll, there was no one else in sight.

_Okay, this is weird. I swear someone was following me just now._

Another cool breeze raised goose bumps on her skin and she shivered involuntarily. _Was it all just my imagination?_ Nervously, she cast another glance at her surroundings. There were only two living, moving things on the street at that particular moment - the cat and herself, no sign of any stalker or whatsoever.

_Perhaps I'm too tired. Yes, that must be it. After all, they do say that one would start imagining things when one's too tired. _Her previously racing heart calmed down enough to begin beating once more at its regular rate.

Before she could thoroughly convince herself that she had been imagining things, a hand clamped itself on her shoulder. Needless to say, Sango screamed blue murder into the night as she whipped around to face her would-be attacker with a flying fist.

"Woah, Sango! It's me!" a feminine voice exclaimed while its owner managed to only duck the punch in the nick of time.

Startled brown orbs widened in realization and her shoulders slumped in obvious relief.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she said, "Kagome … you had me scared half to death."

"Yeah well, that scream of yours nearly gave me a heart attack," said Kagome, her own heart beating wildly. She is positive that had she moved a second later, she would be sporting a rather nasty bruise on her jaw now.

Suddenly the younger girl tensed, her sapphire eyes scanned their surroundings carefully. Her miko senses had just detected a faint demonic aura not far from where they were standing. But then it disappeared just as quickly as if it was never there in the first place. _This is odd, I felt something just now. _

Noticing the frown on her friend's face, Sango asked, "Kagome, are you alright?"

"I felt a demon's presence, Sango. But now it's gone."

Before Sango could reply, Kagome moved quickly to stand in front of her in a defensive stance.

"Youkai! Reveal yourself!"

Slowly, a figure made its silent appearance. From the dim light cast by a nearby lamp post, the two girls could just make out its features. With large emerald eyes, a mop of red hair bound with a blue ribbon, paw-like hands and feet as well as a bushy tail, there is no doubt that what stood in front of them is a demon. _That is one small youkai, _Sango thought.

Kagome noticing the way the little demon was trembling knelt down so that she was more or less at eye level with it. The youkai took a frightened step backwards.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you? My name is Kagome, what is your name?"

"Sh – Shippou," he whispered so softly that Kagome barely caught it.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself, Shippou-chan?"

Tears began welling up in his eyes but he blinked to prevent them from falling. _Grown-ups don't cry!_

"Pa – Papa … he told me to run and hide from the bad guys. I made myself invisible but I didn't know where to go and no one was around except for her," he said pointing a finger at Sango. "She looked kind so I followed her."

"Kami, the eyes that I felt on me and the footsteps that I heard, you mean to say that was you? I thought it was a stalker or something worse," said Sango feeling immensely relieved.

Giggling slightly, Shippou replied with a hint of pride in his voice, "The footsteps were your imagination. You wouldn't be able to hear my footsteps."

Sango ruffled his hair affectionately with a smile. "Probably."

"Ne, Kagome, maybe we should take him home with us. I have a feeling he's not safe out here," she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, I think so too," the younger girl replied before turning once again to the little demon.

"Shippou-chan, how would you like to go home with us for now?"

Sniffling inaudibly, he asked, "Can I?"

"Of course," chorused the two girls.

The pint-sized demon hopped onto Kagome's shoulder, feeling a little happier than before. At least he would have a roof over his head for tonight.

oOo

Later that evening, after a certain fox demon was fast asleep, two girls sat at their little dining table, each nursing a mug of hot chocolate. Both had their minds elsewhere instead of on the books that lay open before them. Deciding that she couldn't concentrate on studying any longer, Kagome broke the silence.

"Sango, about Shippou, what do you think happened to his father?"

"I don't know, Kagome. But I have a bad feeling about it."

"Me too," Kagome replied quietly.

_Shippou said that bad guys entered their home and started fighting with his father. Then his father told him to run and hide. That can't be a good thing, can it?_

Silence fell upon them once more as each girl was absorbed in her own thoughts. The only sound in the room came from the rotating blades of the ceiling fan overhead.

Out of the blue, Sango asked, "Kagome, do you feel like we're turning into the Rescue Rangers?"

The sapphire eyed girl giggled slightly as an image of two chipmunks appeared in her mind.

"First Rin and now Shippou, yeah, I'm beginning to think that we should consider changing jobs."

Looking pointedly at the older girl seated across from her, Kagome asked the question that had refused to leave her alone.

"Ne, Sango, why do you think bad guys were after Shippou's father? He seems like a good kid so I doubt his father would be a bad demon."

"Perhaps they had some kind of grudge against his father or something. I really don't know about demons' affairs, Kagome. You should ask a demon instead of me," Sango said, taking a luxurious sip from her mug.

Tapping her pen against her lower lip, Kagome let the idea run through her head.

_Ask a demon, huh? Hmm … I don't know any youkais. No, wait. That girl who was in my History class last semester, she's a demon but …I don't even know her name. Never mind. Let's see, demon, demon. Hey, Sesshoumaru, he's a demon. But I don't really know him either. Still, he's a demon lord so he might know something of what happened to Shippou's father. Right, I'll call him first thing tomorrow morning._

"Oh, Kagome, I wanted to ask you this before but it slipped my mind. Where were you heading just now before we met Shippou?"

"Eh? Where was I heading? I … don't really remember. It's probably not important anyway."

Sango gave her an odd look before dismissing the subject.

oOo

* * *

A/N: I think I know just what you guys are thinking after reading this chapter. Sango? Huh? Anyway, thank you for the reviews. They really made my week so much better. 

To:

Serenity Voldemort Riddle - I shall convince my muse to let Sesshoumaru save Kagome. No SessKag here either but don't worry, there will definitely be more SessKag in the (near) future.

LittleFoxDemon - I felt sad (and very evil) writing the last chapter. Well, technically speaking, that wasn't exactly Sango, as you know now from this chapter. Also, there's only one Fujisawa. ::winks::

CobaltHeart - As to why Miroku wants to be the one fighting Kagome, let's just say that I have something in mind for him.

KnockKnock313 - I've always liked Miroku too. He is, in my opinion, a brilliant character who is slightly underrated. As for his age, well, there is a reason behind it. :)

Amaya Mishugosha - Welcome back from your vacation. I hope you had a great time:D

emmie - Wow... that's a whole lot of more's you've got there. It kinda reminded me of Chipsmore cookies.


	13. Petal 13

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Inuyasha.

A/N: First of all, the A/N is here because I wanted to see if putting it here will be better than at the bottom. :) Okie, chapter 13 here. It's what I would call a filler chapter for upcoming events but it's by far the longest chapter. Think of it as a peace offering for I might be late in uploading the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thank you for the reviews!

To:

LittleFoxDemon - Shippou's just too cute for me to leave him out of this fic. You know what, everytime I see your name, Shippou's image appears in my mind :D

KnockKnock13 - You'll find out where she's going in this chapter :)

LadyYome - Sorry for the long wait, I totally understand what it feels like. Unfortunately, I loads of assignments that needs to be done so ... Well, about the whole sesshoumaru and kagome falling in love thing, it will happen soon, that much I can promise. It's not going to be a love-at-first-sight kinda thing because I don't believe in that ::grins:: Anyway, if you find yourself out of chapters to read, maybe you could, you know, read it again? Hehe, just kidding.

numberoneklutz - I like Shippou too! He's cute!

demon in disguise - Don't worry, I'm not overworking my oh-so devious brain, much, where Miroku is concerned. I reserve that for Naraku ::grins evilly::

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

The something that had been forgotten the night before and deemed probably not important turned out to be something pretty important. Kagome had the misfortune to discover it the hard way.

Having gone to bed only when it was well past midnight, she set the alarm for 6.30 a.m. without noticing that her otherwise trusty little clock's batteries were dead. Thus she slept blissfully until Sango woke her up. By then it was already 8 o'clock. It didn't help that she had a 3-hour lecture that was scheduled to begin at 8 o'clock. Incidentally, the lecturer for that particular class happened to be Dr. Miyaki who was famous for his punctuality and his low tolerance for tardiness.

The sapphire eyed girl turned up for class at exactly 43 minutes after the lecture began, breathing heavily and slightly disheveled after her run from the ground floor up to the fourth floor. Her appearance in the lecture hall earned her a 15 minute long telling-off on the importance of being punctual from her lecturer in front of all the hundred-odd undergraduates there as well as the assurance that she would have a permanent place in Dr. Miyaki's little black book.

About 5 minutes into Dr Miyaki's personal lecture to her about being a responsible adult, Kagome had him tuned out, nodding at appropriate intervals just to make him think that she was still with him. Only one thought was in her mind then – how could she have forgotten to buy batteries last night? If she had not forgotten all about going to the store last night, the batteries of her alarm wouldn't have died on her, she wouldn't have been late for the lecture and she wouldn't have gotten told off in front of everyone.

Internally, Kagome scowled. She just knew that some of them were sniggering and laughing at her behind her back.

After the little episode in Dr. Miyaki's class, Kagome spent her precious lunch hour dedicated to searching for an important reference book in the library. To her dismay, someone had checked the last available copy out and will only be returning it two weeks later, at the earliest.

_Today is just not my day, _she sighed.

oOo

Bright green eyes glanced towards the glass door of the shop. Sango had left earlier for class and Kagome had yet to arrive. He spent a good part of the morning scampering around trying to be helpful but as of now, Kaede had ran out of things for him to do. Fortunately for him, Sango's cat, Kirara, happened to be around so he got to play with the cream colored fire-cat while Kaede busied herself with the shop's accounts.

His sharp hearing picked up the sound of a bus arriving so he looked up expectantly. Soon enough the vehicle appeared within his line of sight and came to a stop at the station across Kaede's flower shop. Shippou followed a certain young woman with his eyes as she alighted from the bus and stood fidgeting a little impatiently at the zebra crossing. Amusement lit up his young features as he watched her run across the road the second the light turned green, her long dark hair flying behind her.

"I'm sorry Kaede, the bus came late," she said the minute she burst into the little shop.

"It's alright, child, nothing to worry about. There weren't too many customers today anyway."

"Kagome!" he cried, launching himself straight into her arms.

Kagome giggled, the way he greeted her made it seem as if he hadn't seen her for ages. The poor kid must have been bored out of his mind with nothing to do in the store and no one to play with. _At least it would keep his mind off his father for the moment._

"Shippou-chan, I trust that you did not give trouble to Kaede."

"Of course! I helped Kaede the whole morning before playing with Kirara," he declared proudly.

"That's so nice of you, Shippou."

Setting him down carefully on the countertop, she rummaged through her backpack as Shippou looked on curiously. The first search yielded nothing and she frowned before thrusting her hand deeper inside to search every corner of her bag. _I swear it's in here somewhere._

"Ha! There you are!" she exclaimed as her fingers encountered the elusive object.

The little fox's eyes widened as he watch Kagome pull a lollypop out of her bag. Unconsciously, his little pink tongue darted out to lick his lips.

"Here, it is green apple flavored, I hope you like it," she said, handing him the piece of candy.

Just as he was about to reach a paw out to take the sweet, he sensed the presence of another demon in the vicinity. Shippou began trembling. This youkai's aura felt much stronger and way more powerful than his father, who, to his little mind, was the strongest kitsune youkai on earth. He did what his base instincts told him to do – run and hide.

Immediately, he leaped off the counter and made himself invisible. He was well hidden behind a tall vase before either Kagome or Kaede could respond to his actions. With his heart beating at the rate of a hundred miles an hour, he prayed that the demon was only passing by the area and that his invisibility spell would be able to last until the demon was far, far away.

The little bell tinkled as the glass door to the shop was pushed open from the outside.

"Sesshoumaru!"

Tentatively, she added, "What are you doing here?"

Shippou paled and broke out into a cold sweat. _It is him, Sesshoumaru, the legendary Taiyoukai of the West. _He prayed like he had never prayed before.

The inuyoukai didn't answer the question Kagome asked of him as he looked around the shop, sharp golden eyes narrowed into slits. Something didn't feel right. He felt the aura of another demon even though the only youkai he could see was the two-tailed fire-cat. Sesshoumaru expanded his aura so that it filled the entire place. A smirk graced his lips as his sensitive ears picked up a muffled squeak.

It all happened so quickly. One second, Shippou was still invisible and hidden behind the vase and the next; everyone could see that he was being held up by the back of his t-shirt and dangled in front of a certain demon lord's face, some six feet off the ground.

"Kagome! Help! Save me!" he shouted at the top of his voice while trying unsuccessfully to wriggle out of Sesshoumaru's tight hold.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kaede gasped.

If she had seen this scene on the television, Kagome was sure she would have found it very funny. Just imagine this, a stoic faced taiyoukai stood holding a fox cub up in one hand. At the same time, said fox cub was trying to free himself but only succeeded in flailing his arms and legs about wildly. It was simply hilarious.

However, at the moment, she didn't find it any amusing and would have given Sesshoumaru a good smack on the head, if Kaede hadn't held her back.

"Sesshoumaru! Let go of him!"

"Do not order this Sesshoumaru around, miko."

"Sesshoumaru! He's just a kid!"

"He's older than you, miko."

"But he's still a very young youkai! Can't you see that he's terrified?" Kagome reasoned.

The inuyoukai disregarded her reasoning and pinned his amber stare on the petrified little demon before him instead.

"Who are you?"

"Sh – Sh – Shippou."

"Whose orders are you under?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"N-No one -"

"Do not lie to this Sesshoumaru!" he boomed out, giving Shippou a good shake. The kitsune could literally hear his teeth rattling in his little head.

"I am not! Kagome! Save me!" Shippou wailed, his eyes filling up with tears rapidly.

"Sesshoumaru! How could you think of him in such a way?" Kagome scolded.

"Do not interfere, miko. No one harms what is under this Sesshoumaru's protection."

The dark haired miko was beyond exasperated. _Argh! That stupid, stupid demon! _Her fingers twitched and she longed for something that she can use to beat some sense into Sesshoumaru's brain.

"Look at him, Sesshoumaru! He couldn't harm me even if he tried!"

"Then you will explain to this Sesshoumaru why is there suddenly a youkai hanging around you, miko!" snapped the Taiyoukai.

"If you must know, I found him last night and took him in."

The dog demon looked at her, pondering the truth behind her words. Never, in his life had he ever seen a miko protecting a youkai so fiercely. It was simply unheard of. As much as he would like to believe that the fox cub as well as the priestess herself was lying to him, he couldn't, for neither scent suggested it.

_They were telling the truth all along? What is the relationship between the miko and the kitsune? She said she found him last night, does that mean they have never met prior to that? But why then is she protecting him so fiercely?_

Somehow the thought of the miko taking the kitsune's side against him made him want to growl at something. Unfortunately, that something happened to be the little fox he was holding up. To his satisfaction, the cub began trembling like a leaf in the wind when he heard the low growl he emitted.

A tug on his sleeve brought his attention back to the young woman.

"Sesshoumaru, can you please let Shippou go now?" asked Kagome, her wide blue eyes sending an unspoken plea to him.

_Her eyes look just like Rin's except for the difference in color. _Without another word, he dropped the young fox demon none too gently into Kagome's arms, much to everyone else's relief. Shippou immediately wrapped his arms around Kagome's neck, as if fearing that Sesshoumaru might take him away again.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said softly.

His eyes widened by a minute fraction before returning to their original size. _Thank you? This human woman certainly is odd._

Suddenly recalling the reason he was here in the first place, he said, "Miko, I want a word with you."

"But –"

"Now," came the stern command.

"You –"

Kaede cut her off by saying, "I'm sure it's something very important, Kagome. Don't worry; I can handle the shop by myself for a while."

Shippou tightened his hold around Kagome's neck, reluctant to let her go. He had a bad feeling about the entire thing when Sesshoumaru said he wanted a word with Kagome. After all that Kagome had done for him, he felt that he should at least warn Kagome against being so near the demon lord. However, one glance from the Taiyoukai was enough to send the kitsune scurrying over to where Kaede was.

Under her breath, Kagome mumbled something about youkais who don't know how to ask politely. Sesshoumaru heard every word clearly, but pretended that he didn't. It wouldn't do to slice her into ribbons on the spot. Rin would be very sad if he did.

"Fine," Kagome sighed, "I have something I want to ask you as well."

oOo

Much to Sesshoumaru's displeasure, he found himself sitting in the same loathsome fast food outlet once again. This made it the second time he had visited this place in the span of three days, not that he was keeping count or anything.

Sighing inaudibly, he looked around the place. As usual, teenagers crowded around each and every little square table at the place, chattering incessantly about mindless things. Every once in a while, a girl from one of the neighboring tables would eye him hungrily, like how a predator eyes a prey. Who knew that humans, and female ones at that, could look so predatory? _What do they take this Sesshoumaru for? A piece of meat? _He wanted more than anything to remove the eyeballs of each and every one of the females who were ogling so openly at him but since he couldn't do just that, not in such a public place anyway, he settled for glaring at them with his trademark bone-chilling stare. It was enough to make them turn their heads away immediately in fear.

_Not to mention that they'd probably have nightmares for at least a week, _he thought with a smirk.

"What's with the smirk, Sesshoumaru?" asked Kagome as she slid into the empty seat opposite him, a large soda in her hand and all the while blissfully unaware of the many pairs of female eyes glaring daggers at her back.

"It is none of your concern, miko."

The young woman rolled her sapphire eyes at him. "Whatever you say."

"So what is so important that you just couldn't wait to tell me? Or is it just an excuse because you miss me terribly?" she asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Do not flatter yourself, miko."

"Kagome. So what is it?" Kagome asked, sipping her soda.

The Taiyoukai was silent for a moment. Come to think of it, how was he supposed to tell the miko that her life is in danger? He could suffer to make some small talk with her and in the process, tell her conversationally that she's in danger. _No, that is not how this Sesshoumaru works. _He prefers going straight to the point instead of beating around the bush. But, a part of him felt apprehensive of how the miko would take it if he were to spill it to her in just a few words. She would be shocked, to say the least. Then he caught himself. _Since when does this Sesshoumaru care for a human's feelings?_

"Sesshoumaru, if you're not going to say it then let me ask you something ok?"

That meant more time for him to figure out how to break the news to her. It wasn't as if he cared about her feelings or anything, it was just that he didn't want a hysterical female on his hands especially in such a crowded place. Inwardly, he regretted coming to this fast food restaurant.

Taking his silence as consent, Kagome asked, "Do you know of a fox demon by the name of Takani?"

"He was a general in the Western army under my command."

Sapphire eyes widened. _Shippou never mentioned that he was a general's son!_

"Then do you know anything of what has happened to him?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I believe that he has settled down somewhere in Tokyo after retiring from the army some three centuries ago. Why do you ask of him, miko?"

"I told you that I found the kitsune cub, Shippou, earlier, right? Well, he told me that some demons attacked his home last evening and his father told him to run for it, which was exactly what he did. So right now I want to know what has happened to his father and whether or not he's still alive."

"And you're asking this Sesshoumaru because?" Sesshoumaru asked, his left eyebrow raised slightly.

"Because I think that you would know something about it since you're a demon lord and all," replied Kagome, her tone implying that the inuyoukai before her should have figured that out by himself.

The Taiyoukai looked at the female priestess impassively. "This Sesshoumaru does not concern himself with the affairs of other demons."

"Oh come on! Don't you care about your general, or ex-general? Isn't it odd that someone would attack him even though he used to be a general in the army once? I mean, he must be a pretty strong guy to become a general right? Who in their right mind would want to mess with a demon like that?"

The bored look on Sesshoumaru's face belied the fact that he was thinking about what Kagome just said. He knew Takani; the demon was one of his strongest and most reliable generals, not to mention that the fox was a master of disguises. Hence, if the kitsune youkai told his cub to run when they were attacked suggests that his enemy was more than he can handle. The inuyoukai also knew that the possibility of Takani surviving the attack was very slim, for why else would he order the kit to run away? Takani knew that he would not be able to protect his son and thus sent him away in a bid to preserve his young life.

The miko's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Sesshoumaru, do you think that Shippou's father would still be alive?"

"This Sesshoumaru believes that the cub's father would not have survived."

Kagome felt as if there was something clenching her heart and preventing it from beating properly when Sesshoumaru's words registered in her mind. Hearing about the possibility of Shippou losing his father brought back memories of her own father and how she had lost him. What took her father away from her had been an accident that occurred fourteen years ago when she was only six years old and her younger brother Souta, two.

Lowering her head so that her dark bangs obscured her eyes from Sesshoumaru's gaze, she asked quietly, "Are you sure of that, Sesshoumaru?"

He detected a subtle change in her voice that indicated something akin to intense sadness. Why would she be feeling so was beyond him. It didn't make much sense to him that she felt such grief over the possible death of someone who was practically a stranger to her.

"Hn."

For a few minutes, no words were exchanged between the demon and the human sitting at the little table. The silence between them was even more pronounced amidst the ongoing chatter that floated from the other tables around them. Normally, this wouldn't bother him for he was accustomed to dwell in long periods of silence but today, he felt a need to fill that silent void with words. He supposed that he wanted to do so because the silence made him uncomfortable and Sesshoumaru wasn't one who really enjoyed being in uncomfortable situations.

So he said the first thing that came into his mind.

"Kagome, you are in danger."

She gave the most intelligent one-word answer she could formulate upon hearing that statement.

"Huh?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself."

"No, I mean, what do you mean I'm in danger?"

"Exactly what this Sesshoumaru said." _Really, and she calls herself a university student._

A frown appeared on her face. She didn't know whether Sesshoumaru was being purposefully difficult or was he naturally difficult. Kagome was ready to bet all of next month's pay that it was the latter.

"Okay then, Sesshoumaru. Why am I in danger?"

"Some demons are out for your life. Didn't you know that, miko?"

Kagome looked at him like he was crazy.

"Look here, Sesshoumaru. The last time I checked I was just a normal student who wants to pass her exams and have enough money ready by the end of each month so that I can pay the bills on time, not some politician who has enemies left, right and center. How on earth would I know that someone wants me dead? Better yet, why would someone want me dead?"

This time it was Sesshoumaru's turn to frown. Hadn't the woman herself told him that she was in danger? True, she said that in his dream, but it counted, right? So it made sense that she should know something about it, right? However, to all appearances, she knew nothing of it. _How is this possible?_ He supposed that the miko was able to see future events, an ability that she herself knew nothing of, just like she didn't know that she had appeared to him in his dreams. _She must be doing it subconsciously._

"You, miko, saved Rin from the would-be kidnappers and for that, they want you dead."

He watched as the raven haired young woman very nearly choked on her mouthful of soda. Amber eyes watched as a hundred expressions played on her fair face and he wondered what thoughts ran through her mind. He doubted that someone came to tell her that her life was in danger everyday.

Kagome stared down at the now empty soda cup in her hands, suddenly finding the little round droplets of water that still clung to the sides of the paper cup very interesting. How was she supposed to respond to something like that?

"I don't know how I should react to this," Kagome confessed at last in a quiet voice. "How did you know about it?"

"This Sesshoumaru has his sources."

"I see," she said, looking thoughtful.

Glancing at her watch, she stood up and said, "I must be going now. Thank you for telling me Sesshoumaru."

She made to leave but something seemed to hold her back.

"Sesshoumaru," she began, "can I ask you for a favor?"

"This Sesshoumaru cannot promise anything," he replied, unaware that his voice seemed much gentler than before.

"Can you … find out if Shippou's father is still alive?" she said softly, yet her voice bore the unmistakable trace of hope in it.

"Hn."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

With that she left the noisy fast food restaurant.

oOo

That evening after work, Kagome walked back to her apartment with a half-asleep Shippou perched on her left shoulder and a brand-new pack of batteries tucked safely in her backpack. She really didn't want a repeat of what happened this morning; Kami knows that experiencing it once was humiliating enough as it is. If the entire class didn't know of her existence prior to this, they certainly will now.

Her wandering mind brought her back to what Sesshoumaru told her earlier this evening.

"_They want you dead."_

Initially, she had been scared but then it gave way to a greater fear. She feared not for her own safety but instead for the safety of the people around her. Would the people that were out to get her ruthless enough to target her friends and family as well? She feared mostly for the safety of her mother, her brother, her grandfather, Sango, Kaede as well as little Shippou. Kagome knew that she could protect herself well enough, but will she be able to protect the people she cared for as well? _I don't want them to be hurt because of me._

A low voice to her right brought her out of her thoughts.

"If I were you, little miko, I would pay more attention to my surroundings. Some things might happen when you're distracted."

Kagome whipped around, her heart pounding. _Who said that? _Her sapphire eyes searched the street for the owner of the voice but with more than one person near her, it was a rather difficult task.

Shippou opened an eye sleepily to look at her.

"Kagome, what is it?"

Taking in a deep breath, she answered, "Nothing, Shippou."

Noticing the sleepy state the kitsune kit was in, she took him in her arms and said softly, "Go to sleep. I'll wake you when we're home."

oOo

* * *

A/N: Review please? 


	14. Petal 14

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

A/N: I know, I'm rather late this week. I shall not start complaining about the hellish week I've had (hence the way this chapter turned out). Thank you for the reviews, they helped make my week slightly more bearable ::hint hint::

To:

magix234 - I'm glad you found it interesting enough to continue reading!

KuroxTenshi - Glad you liked it ::grins::

KnockKnock13 - Yeah, bad days like that really suck although I'm secretly wondering if anyone's day could really get as bad as that. Oh well, this is fiction after all. :)

EyeOfDlareme - Hehe ... I'm glad you found that particular scene funny.

LittleFoxDemon - I think anyone would be scared if they found themselves held up in front of Sesshoumaru like that ::grins:: Oh and about the image we both have of Shippou everytime we see your name, well, let's just say that great minds think alike. Hehe.

CobaltHeart - I'm glad you liked Shippou's characterization in the last chapter. On the overall, I kinda based him off my 3 yr old, extremely hyperactive nephew.

sliferret101 and Chocolate-Bunni - I'm trying my best to update as soon as I can. Meanwhile, patience is a virtue ::grins::

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

Even though he could smell the metallic, sickly sweet tang of blood before he reached the house, nothing prepared him for what he was about to see. Cautiously, a clawed hand pushed open the heavy wooden door that had been left ajar. Shock hit him in the face when the door opened fully as his eyes took in the whole scene.

The last time he saw something as bad as this was in a war the humans waged against one another, and that too had been more than half a century ago. It never occurred to him that he would see such a horrible sight once more in these peaceful times. If it weren't for the fact that Inuyasha was one very stouthearted hanyou who had seen something like this for more times than he cared to count, the large bowl of ramen he had for breakfast this morning would have been all over the floor by now.

Death and decay hung heavy in the atmosphere. Dark brown patches of blood were everywhere, splashed on the walls like it was some kind of mural and splattered over the furniture. However, most of it was pooled in a sticky mess on the floor where a dead body lay.

He looked away from the body long enough for him to survey the room. It was in total disarray, a leather armchair with long, deep claw marks across its seat was overturned, the glass-topped coffee table was smashed to bits and a lamp lay broken on the floor. There was no doubt that a fight had taken place right here. _And to the death too._

Noticing a photo frame that lay face down upon the floor, Inuyasha bent down to pick it up. Two pairs of bright emerald eyes looked back up at him. The older demon was smiling happily and the younger one, who had his arms wrapped about his father's neck, was sporting a grin that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame. Nonetheless, the resemblance between the two in the picture was uncanny. _Like father, like son, huh?_ Inuyasha thought as he pocketed the picture carefully.

His gaze drifted back of their own accord to the figure that lay lifeless upon the cold floor and he swallowed. There in the middle of a large pool of blood, lay the body of a five-tailed fox demon. The darkening fluid covered most of the still form, tainting the beautiful reddish brown fur a red so deep that it looked almost black. Not even a small patch of white fur at the fox's belly was spared from all that blood. One eyelid was half open, staring out at the world with an emerald eye that would never see again. Flies buzzed and hovered around the massive ragged wound at the kitsune's abdomen where his guts have spewed out onto the floor.

Despite the odor assaulting his sensitive sense of smell, Inuyasha didn't even bother to cover his nose. To do so just seemed so … rude. He may not have known the deceased demon very well but he did know him well enough to respect him and that was saying a lot for not many people could say that they have the hanyou's respect. Takani Shinichi was the one youkai he would turn to when he needed disguises for his spy work. Not once had he been he discovered when using the disguises the kitsune provided for him.

When he received the call from Sesshoumaru late yesterday evening telling him to look up Takani, he had been more curious than surprised. It wasn't everyday that the hanyou received orders to look up those who had served the Western Lands. Now he knew why. But how Sesshoumaru had known about it, Inuyasha had no idea. Perhaps his older half-brother was smarter than he gave him credit for.

Looking over the kitsune's body carefully, something caught Inuyasha's sharp eye and he stepped up to inspect it. The grayish-reddish clump of fur at the corner of the fox demon's mouth looked nothing like Takani's fur. Removing it carefully, the hanyou held it up to his eyes. True enough, upon closer inspection, he knew that it belonged not to the kitsune but to his attacker. The coarse clump of fur must have lodged itself there when Takani used his fangs on his enemy. From the faint scent that still clung to the little bit of fur, Inuyasha knew just exactly who attacked the fox youkai – a coyote demon.

_Coyote. _The hanyou's body went rigid as the attacker's identity sank in. Quickly, he pulled his phone out from his trouser pocket, fingers nimbly dialing a number he had long since memorized.

oOo

"Jaken-sama, can we go out now?"

The little kappa sighed and said, "No, Rin."

"Oh, okay," she said, turning back to her coloring.

Jaken returned to the newspaper he was reading, hoping that she would at least let him finish the short article about toads uninterrupted. _Now, where was I? Ah, yes._

He had barely located the sentence when Rin's voice broke the silence again.

"Jaken-sama, can we go out now?"

He was so frustrated that he wanted to tear the hair out of his head, that is, if he had some on the top of his head. Jaken had not even a single strand, thus he settled for thumping his little fist on the wooden table and exclaiming, "No Rin! Sesshoumaru-sama said that you will have to remain in the house until he returns! Now stop bothering me!"

"But why, Jaken-sama?" she asked.

Were it not for the fact that his head was still covered in bandages, Jaken would have given in to the urge to hit his head on the table. However, getting hurt once again wasn't on his to-do list for the day.

Squawking loudly, he said, "Rin! I have told it to you a million times and this is the last time I'm telling you. Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't want us to go out because he doesn't want you to get caught by the bad demons again! Do you understand that now, you stupid girl?"

Rin nodded but instead of returning to her coloring book, she looked at the toad with a slight frown on her round face.

"Jaken-sama …"

"What is it now, Rin?" he asked tiredly. Really, doesn't the girl know when to stop asking questions? It was downright annoying! How his demon lord can stand the human child is beyond his little kappa brain.

"How many times is a million times?"

"It's – It's a, well, it's –" _Damn, how many zeros did one million have again? 5? 6? 7? Argh!_

'click'

The second that all too familiar sound reached her ear, Rin forgot all about Jaken's answer to her question and made a beeline for the front door, or more exactly, for the one she knew would be standing there.

"Daddy!"

"Rin."

"Daddy, can Rin go play in the park now? Jaken-sama wouldn't let Rin go out today."

Before Sesshoumaru could answer, his phone gave a shrill ring and he let his eyes close for a second. Rin looked slightly disappointed as she retreated to the living room but she knew better than to disturb her father when he's on the phone. Jaken did once, accidentally of course, and the results weren't very pretty. Let's just say that it involved something flying from one end of the penthouse to the other.

"Sesshoumaru speaking."

A quiet voice reached his ear over the phone. It was so unlike the brash one he was used to hearing over the centuries that Sesshoumaru had half a mind to double check the caller's identity.

"He's dead."

"Who killed him?"

"A coyote. He was murdered."

_A coyote murdered Takani? _

"When?"

"Probably the day before yesterday."

"Hn." _The day before yesterday. That was the day Kagome found the kitsune cub._

"Sesshoumaru, you do know what that means, right?"

"Who do you take this Sesshoumaru for, hanyou?" he replied before hanging up.

Inaudibly, the inuyoukai let a sigh escape him. Things are beginning to look more complicated than they originally seem. To top it off, he didn't know how to go about breaking the news to Kagome. Her eyes held so much hope in their cerulean depths even though he had told her in no uncertain terms what he thought of Takani surviving.

Another sigh. Still, there are things that must be done. Striding over to the living room, he noticed his young human daughter sitting at the low coffee table, drawing diligently on a piece of paper with her crayon.

"Rin, get yourself ready. We're going out now."

Looking up from her drawing, she asked, "Daddy, where are we going?"

"To see Kagome."

Her brown eyes lit up with happiness and she let out a little squeal. The sound of small feet could be heard pattering down the hallway that led to her room.

oOo

The minute the elevator doors slid open, Sesshoumaru's senses went on high alert. Amber eyes scanned their surroundings trying to locate anything that seemed out of place. It yielded nothing. The basement car park looked just like when he had left it not half an hour ago. Yet Sesshoumaru could hardly ignore the feeling telling him that something is wrong.

The Taiyoukai continued walking towards his car, Rin chattering happily about Kagome to Jaken beside him. A soft whoosh, too soft for mortal ears to pick up, was all Sesshoumaru needed to know that something was headed their way. Quickly, he dodged to his left, his right arm reaching out for Rin and pushing her behind him. A dull thud told him that the object had struck the wall behind him.

With eyes still trained carefully in front of him, Sesshoumaru reached up to pull the object out. A simple dagger of about 9 inches in length appeared in the palm of his hand. One sniff was enough for him to know that the blade had been coated with poison, a lethal demonic poison whose sole purpose is to paralyze its target before slowly killing it. Unfortunately for the wielder of the dagger, no poison could have harmed Sesshoumaru, Being a poison user, he is immune to all types of poisons after all.

Two more daggers appeared out of nowhere, this time aimed at his arm and chest. In the nick of time, Sesshoumaru raised a protective barrier around them causing the daggers that hit it to fall to the ground with a thunk. A low growl made its way past his lips. He was at a disadvantage here. There were too many pillars and cars where the attackers could hide behind, places where he wouldn't be able to see them but they could see him. Besides, he had Rin to protect as well for Kami knows that his kappa retainer won't be able to do much.

_Still, those cowards hiding in the shadows are going to pay if they even think they can bring harm to this Sesshoumaru and those who are under his protection._

"Jaken, Rin, stay in the barrier."

His stern command left no room for argument, not that either of them were going to do anything like that. Her brown eyes wide with anxiety, Rin watched as the closest thing she had to a family stepped out of the barrier's protective boundary.

Clenching his fist, he expanded his senses and allowed his previously suppressed aura to fill the place. Ten, he counted the auras of ten horse demons around him. Their presences were cleverly masked but not clever enough so as to escape his detection. A small smirk played upon his lips.

Several daggers flew at him from his right but every last one shattered to minute fragments upon contact with his light whip. In a flash, Sesshoumaru stood behind the youkai who had thrown the daggers, sharp poisonous claws slashing across the demon's throat and ending his life before he could even think of screaming.

Letting the youkai fall down to the cement floor, Sesshoumaru stepped out from behind the pillar, tall and regal with hardly a speck of blood on him. Three demons faced him, each one of them holding several daggers in one hand. _Amateurs, _he thought as they lunged at him. Two minutes was all it took for the inuyoukai to take their lives. However, five more replaced the fallen three and Sesshoumaru wondered briefly where the last one was. It would be more convenient for him to take down all of them in one go rather than one by one.

They attacked all at once, circling around him, dodging his claws, trading places with one another like an intricate dance. One minute they were closing in on him, the next they were more than an arm's length away. Sesshoumaru had to give it to them; they were very surefooted and moved fast. Unlike the three he had taken down before, these five were well trained. _But not as highly trained as this Sesshoumaru._

Generating his whips of light at the end of his fingertips, Sesshoumaru lashed out at the demon closest to him. They hit their target right in the chest with the demon emitting a satisfying sounding shriek before he departed from this world. Fluidly, he moved on to the next one and the one after it, until all five have disintegrated into bits. _Now for the last one. _As much as he didn't want to let Rin see him kill, he couldn't help it. The youkais were threatening him now so they had to die now.

Turning around gracefully, Sesshoumaru was not the least surprised to find the only remaining youkai standing before him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, fancy meeting you here," the blonde haired demon said smugly.

"Are those your last words, youkai?"

The horse demon simply shrugged before dropping into a defensive stance, daggers in both his hands. Sesshoumaru couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face. For such a young youkai, the demon certainly had some amount of courage to stand up to him. In less than the time it took for the demon to blink, Sesshoumaru had him pinned against the pillar, a strong, fair hand wrapped around the youkai's neck. The young stallion struggled against Sesshoumaru's strong hold and tried to pull his fingers away but it was all in vain.

"Speak youkai. What do you want with this Sesshoumaru?"

"Heh. N – Not … you. The … girl," he replied, a lopsided smirk on his face.

_Rin? So they were really out to get Rin?_

"Who commanded you?"

"I … won't tell."

Sesshoumaru let out a low growl. This demon was being stubbornly loyal to whoever gave him the order even when faced with death. The inuyoukai decided to take a shot at guessing his commander's name. Hadn't Inuyasha mentioned a name the other day?

"Was it Hiko?"

Even though the demon was struggling to get some much needed oxygen into his lungs, he still managed another lopsided smirk as well as a chuckle.

"I … am Hiko."

The inuyoukai tightened his grip, sharp claws digging into the tender flesh of the youkai's neck. Deciding that the horse youkai needed some convincing before he would give a name, Sesshoumaru leaked a bit of poison into the wound, causing the horse demon scream out in agony. The inuyoukai hoped that Hiko would be willing to talk now because he really didn't want the demon to die from the poisonous fluid in his bloodstream before he managed to learn anything.

"Who commanded you?" Sesshoumaru asked in a cold voice.

"E- En … tei," the demon's rasping voice answered, Sesshoumaru's poison already making its burning presence felt in his throat.

Amber eyes narrowed into slits at the mention of the name. Sesshoumaru thought he had heard the last of it 500 years ago. Who knew that he would hear it again 500 years later? He had heard of Entei of course. The horse demon under the direct orders of a certain humanoid demon named Hakudoshi, who in turn was the offspring of the hanyou Naraku.

_Naraku, _Sesshoumaru snarled, _what are you up to?_

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru heard a soft rip and felt something pierce his side. Looking down, he found one of Hiko's daggers embedded at his waist so deep that only the black plastic hilt was visible. Baring his fangs at the grinning Hiko, he hissed when he pulled the blade out and flung it away._ He dared to hurt this Sesshoumaru! He must die!_

"Y-You … will die … Sess … hou … maru. There … i-is … poi –"

Sesshoumaru didn't wait for Hiko to finish what he wanted to say. The inuyoukai was beyond angry so without any further notice, he slit the demon's throat with a claw dripping with poison.

Looking down impassively at the horse demon slumped against the wall, his throat sizzling from the contact with the inuyoukai's poison, Sesshoumaru said, "This Sesshoumaru is immune to poison."

oOo

* * *

A/N: The next chapter might be late. I have 2 tests coming up next week as well as a truckload of assignments to hand in. Sigh. Make me happy with a review, onegai? 


	15. Petal 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co.

A/N: Compared to the last chapter, I think this one is a little ... how do I put it ... bland? mellow? I dunno. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. I promise there will be some action coming up in the next chapter (that is, if my muse behaves). Thank you, all of you who reviewed (for those of you who didn't, thank you for reading -). You have no idea how happy it made me.

To:

BlackWidow12 - ::bows meekly:: Here it is, chapter 15. Think of it as a peace offering for my lateness this week. :)

LittleFoxDemon - Well ... losing a loved one is always a horrible experience to have.

KnockKnock313 - Yeah, poor Inuyasha ... Then again, I rather like torturing him with stuff like that. ::grins evilly::

magix234 - Thank you! I think I managed to do pretty okay in both the tests! Wee::hops around::

BeckyJoe3689 - ::blush:: putting thought into the plot ::blush:: I do most of the thinking in class when I'm supposed to be listening to the lecturer ::hangs head in embarrassment::

CobaltHeart - Hehe, I liked that last bit too. I imagined it was a very Sesshoumaru-like thing to say. Aww ... that's sweet, you have nephews too.

EyeOfDlareme - Glad you liked the scene. Erm, may I know what's urban garage? I didn't quite get that bit.

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

Kagome fumed silently as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling. There she was, enjoying her only day off from both work and classes by reading a particularly thrilling novel Sango had recommended and an arrogant youkai just had to ruin everything for her. _Stupid youkai, _she grumbled.

-- Flashback --

"Hello, Kagome speaking."

"Miko, where are you?"

Kagome knew immediately to whom the voice belonged to even if he had not given his name. No one else could sound so cold and downright rude except that particular demon lord. No 'Hello, how are you' or anything along those lines, just a demand that she tell him her current whereabouts. _Typical Sesshoumaru, _she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm at home. Why?"

"Address?"

"What for?"

"This Sesshoumaru will be dropping by."

She nearly dropped her phone in surprise.

"W-W-WHAT? No way!"

Sesshoumaru winced visibly. Had the miko truly no idea just how loud her voice was and how sensitive his hearing is?

"This Sesshoumaru insists."

"Right and you think I'm just going to let you come because you insisted?" she asked, sarcasm heavy in her voice. If the oh-so-high-and-mighty Taiyoukai really thought so, he had another thing coming.

"Rin wants to see you."

At the mention of Rin, Kagome hurriedly rattled off her address without a second thought while Sesshoumaru committed it to memory with a smirk on his face. So that was a half truth but Kagome didn't have to know it. He simply needed to know where she lives and any workable excuse that got her talking was fine by him.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

He hung up then, leaving Kagome to gape like a fish out of water at her phone.

-- End Flashback --

Groaning, the dark haired girl rolled over and buried her head in a nearby pillow. He knew very well that she had a soft spot for Rin and did not hesitate to use it to his advantage. _Sesshoumaru probably wasn't even thinking of bringing Rin here, _she thought sourly._ Didn't we just talk yesterday? Why would he want to see me again so soon? Unless … _

Kagome sat up straight._ No._

Leaving her bedroom, she went to find Shippou who was seated in front of the television watching cartoons.

"Shippou-chan."

The little fox kit turned towards her with a smile.

"Hm?"

"I, er, Sesshoumaru is on his way here."

Terror filled the emerald orbs at the mere mention of the Taiyoukai's name. He was literally quivering all over as he articulated a somewhat strangled "W-Why?"

The young woman bit her lower lip. She had a hunch but Shippou didn't have to know of it yet.

"I don't really know, Shippou. I suppose he's got something to tell me."

Skepticism was evident in the kitsune's wide eyes.

"Kagome, you should stay away from Sesshoumaru. He's a very dangerous youkai who can easily kill you," he said, trying his very best to hide the trembling of his voice.

Despite only meeting him a couple of days ago, it warmed Kagome's heart to know that the kitsune cub cared for her enough to warn her about Sesshoumaru.

Smiling sweetly, she said, "Don't worry, Shippou. I'm a miko remember? If he even thinks about trying to harm me, I will personally kick his ass."

Shippou couldn't help but burst out in a fit of giggles at the thought of the petite priestess kicking the ass of someone as well-built as Sesshoumaru. Looking at the giggling cub on the couch, Kagome couldn't help but the grin that formed on her face. The idea of kicking Sesshoumaru's behind is rather funny. She wondered what the inuyoukai would look like if he knew …

The sound of the doorbell interrupted her.

"Speak of the devil," muttered Kagome as she headed towards the door.

It all happened so fast. One minute she was standing at the open door, mouth slightly parted to greet Sesshoumaru and the next she was lying on her rear with something not heavy, but not light either, on top of her.

"Kagome!"

Cautiously, she opened her eyes.

"Rin?"

An oval shaped face grinned back at her. _He really brought her, _Kagome thought happily.

"Rin missed you so much Kagome!"

"Uh, I've missed you too, Rin-chan," said Kagome, gently trying to remove herself before the little girl can crush her any further.

"Ack! Rin! Get off the human!" something – Kagome had no idea what – squawked loudly.

"Rin, remove yourself from Kagome," another voice said. Now this one was very familiar to Kagome.

The young girl didn't need to be told twice as she hurriedly scrambled up, grinning all the time. A fair, slender hand appeared in her line of sight, causing Kagome to look up at its owner with questioning eyes and surprise written all over her face. His only answer was an arched eyebrow.

Carefully putting her hand in his – his claws looked awfully sharp – Kagome let him help her up. Looking up at Sesshoumaru, she noticed that despite his usual blank mask of indifference, he appeared to be clenching his teeth, hard. _He looks like he's in pain. _Giving him a quick once over, she noticed a tear on his shirt as well as a dark, wet-looking patch around it.

"Sesshoumaru, you –"

The demon gave her a pointed look that immediately prevented what she wanted to say from leaving her mouth. He didn't want anyone, Rin especially, to know that he had been injured.

Meanwhile, Rin was looking curiously at the sofa. A second ago, she had seen a pair of green eyes peeking over the edge but now they were gone with a soft 'pop'. She blinked and looked around but couldn't find it. A soft giggle from the seemingly empty space in front of her had her squeaking out in surprise and hiding behind Sesshoumaru in an instant.

"Shippou, that wasn't very nice," Kagome said.

Rin's eyes widened when suddenly a small person appeared at the seemingly empty space right beside Kagome.

"Sorry," he said, looking at Rin with a sheepish grin.

"Rin, this is Shippou. Shippou this is Rin, Sesshoumaru's daughter," said Kagome, introducing the two children to one another. Something told her that both Shippou and Rin could each do well with a new friend.

Rin emerged from her hiding place and gave Shippou a shy smile as she took in his appearance. He had a mop of unruly brown hair, tied back into a ponytail with a blue ribbon and a pair of twinkling green eyes. When he smiled at her, she could see two sharp, little fangs. But what caught her attention was the furry, soft-looking tail of his that twitched every now and then.

The question that came out of her had everyone at a loss for words for a moment or two.

"Can Rin have a tail too?" she asked, pointing at Shippou's.

"Well, Rin, you see, Shippou is a kitsune youkai, that's why he's got a tail," explained Kagome.

The little girl nodded before asked again, "Rin cannot have a tail because Rin is not a kitsune youkai?"

"You're a human, Rin-chan. Besides, I think you're too pretty for a tail," the older girl answered.

Then breaking into a huge toothy grin, she tugged on Sesshoumaru's trouser leg and asked, in all childish innocence, "Kagome doesn't have a tail too because she's too pretty, right daddy?"

Kagome could hardly believe her ears. Just how had Rin come up with that amazing conclusion was beyond her reasoning. _Kids. _However, she couldn't deny that she was rather curious as to how Sesshoumaru would answer. _He'll probably pretend he didn't hear it._

No sooner had that thought formed in her mind, Sesshoumaru said, "Yes, Rin."

_He didn't just say that. _The blush that was beginning to creep across her cheeks was enough to tell her that yes, Sesshoumaru had indeed said that and she had not heard it wrongly. Not wanting the inuyoukai to see her slightly pink cheeks, Kagome turned towards Shippou for some distraction.

"Shippou, why don't you and Rin go play together?"

The fox cub didn't need to be told twice.

"Come on, Rin. We'll go play with Kirara. She can do lots of neat tricks," he said, grabbing the girl's hand and leading her into the kitchen.

"Jaken, watch over them," Sesshoumaru commanded.

"Yes, my Lord."

A green kappa who Kagome hadn't noticed up till now waddled away into her kitchen where the children were.

The minute Jaken's back disappeared, Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Okay, start talking now, mister. Why are you here all of a sudden and why are you injured?"

"This Sesshoumaru has news for you, miko."

"Okay," she said taking his hand in hers, "but I'm sure it can wait until we get you cleaned up."

Before he could utter a word of protest, Sesshoumaru found himself being led into what he presumed was her bedroom. While she was rummaging around in a drawer for something, the Taiyoukai took the opportunity to look around.

The room was small and neat, with only a double bed, a desk and a cupboard in it. A stack of books with titles he had never even heard of, sat on the desk and a dark blue backpack leaned against the wall, the testimony of the miko's life as a university student. Nevertheless, the room still managed to look warm and inviting; like a place where you would want to secretly enter and steal an afternoon nap on the bed while its owner was away.

Setting some cotton wool and a bottle of antiseptic on the desk, Kagome said, "Take off your shirt, Sesshoumaru."

"No one orders this Sesshoumaru around, miko," he growled. The dull, persistent pain he felt wasn't making his mood any better.

"Fine. I'll just take it off for you then, my lord," she said sarcastically.

"This Sesshoumaru had no idea that mikos were so forward."

Kagome pretended not to have heard him and proceeded to unbutton his dark blue shirt.

The minute the shirt was off his person and lying on the floor, the dark haired girl had to fight the urge not to stare. Sesshoumaru's pale chest reminded her of a marble sculpture, Michelangelo's 'David' to be exact, whose picture – the sculpture's not Sesshoumaru's - she had seen once in an encyclopedia a few years back.

The strong lines that were etched into his upper body spoke of years of dedicated workout and the strength that lay beneath him. Kagome wanted to touch him then, to trace every line with her finger, to find out what Sesshoumaru would feel like. Would he feel cold like marble or would he feel warm like a living being?

"Miko, perhaps when you're quite done admiring this Sesshoumaru's chest, you would find that the wound is not there."

Kagome looked up at him with the darkest scowl she could muster as she soaked a cotton pad with antiseptic. She was too turned off by his narcissistic attitude to even manage a blush when caught red-handed staring at him.

Not even bothering to be in the least bit gentle when she cleaned his wound, she muttered to herself, "Why would I stare at you? Yeah, you're hot, sexy and all that but would I stand here and admire you? No way!"

Sesshoumaru fought the urge to chuckle. That was a blatant lie if the faint pink that colored her cheeks were any indication. If she thought she could take his attention away from her obvious admiration of him, she had another thing coming. _So she thinks this Sesshoumaru is hot and sexy, huh?_ His ego was propelled to greater heights.

Once all the blood was cleaned off, Kagome had a better look at the cut. For an opening barely wider than an inch, the sapphire eyed girl was pretty sure that the wound ran deep.

"Sesshoumaru, I think you should go see a doctor. This looks deep."

"This Sesshoumaru can heal himself."

She let out a sigh as she threw the bloody cotton pad into the trashcan. It was just so like Sesshoumaru to not go see a doctor even if his life depended on it. _Wait, since when do I know him so well? Oh well, I guess he's just too predictable._

Placing both her palms over the area of his cut, Kagome said, "This might feel a little warm and prickly."

"What are you doing, miko?"

She closed her eyes and did not answer, much to Sesshoumaru's annoyance. He glared, or rather tried to glare, at the girl but it wasn't working too well since she had her eyes closed and couldn't see it. Still he glared all the same while mentally going through the various ways he could maim the miko and make it look like an accident.

Feeling a warm, tingly sensation where his wound is, amber eyes looked down to find her small hands glowing softly with a pink light. _What is the wench doing? Is she trying to purify this Sesshoumaru? _However, with his youki feeling very much at peace, Sesshoumaru did not feel threatened enough to entertain thoughts of the miko trying to purify him. _Besides, she wouldn't be able to do so._

Pretty soon, the warmth was gone and Sesshoumaru found the miko looking over the place where the cut used to be. _She healed this Sesshoumaru?_

Kagome tentatively reached out a finger and traced what she imagined was where the cut used to be. It had healed perfectly, not a scar or even a light blemish on the pale, smooth skin to show that he was wounded there once.

"Why miko?"

Her head snapped up and sapphire clashed with amber.

"Why what, Sesshoumaru?"

"Heal this Sesshoumaru."

"Isn't that the right thing to do?"

The inuyoukai seemed to ponder her words for a moment. It amazed him that a priestess would say that to a demon. Never in his entire existence had he met a miko who was willing to heal an injured youkai. She must be the most unmiko-like miko he ever had the fortune or misfortune to meet.

Softly, he said, "Thank you, Kagome."

Kagome was ready to pinch herself just to prove that she was actually dreaming. She always thought that Sesshoumaru was not capable of sounding gentle but apparently she was wrong. _Looks like he can be nice if he wants to._

"You're welcome," she said, smiling up at him.

"Ne, Sesshoumaru, didn't you have something to tell me? You can start talking now."

He bent to retrieve his shirt from the floor and without looking at her, said quietly, "Takani is dead. He was murdered by another demon."

The dread that had been twisting, turning and knotting in her all this while seemed to be finally set free by those words only to find sadness in its place. _Shippou's father is dead. _

Unconsciously, a tear slid down her cheek. The inuyoukai's words caused a sense of déjà vu to wash over her as her mind conjured up an old memory.

-- Flashback --

"Papa?"

There was no response from the figure on the bed so little Kagome tried again, this time a little louder.

"Papa? It's me, Kagome."

Still there was no response. Thinking that her father must be fast asleep, she shook his arm while calling out to him. Sadly, it was to no avail.

Kagome didn't know what else she could do to wake her father up so she did what any sensible six-year old would do, she turned to her mother for help.

"Mama, Papa won't wake up."

Her mother gathered the young Kagome into her arms, tears running silently down the middle-aged woman's face. She didn't understand why her ever-smiling mother was crying now. Her father couldn't be woken from his sleep, that's all.

"Mama, why are you crying?"

"Kagome," her mother said softly, the gentle voice cracking slightly, "Papa won't wake up anymore."

Not understanding what the older woman meant, Kagome asked with curiosity reflected in her sapphire eyes, "Why, Mama?"

"Papa has left us, Kagome. Papa is dead."

-- End Flashback --

Another tear rolled down to join its fallen comrade. She herself hardly knew the reason behind her tears. Perhaps it was because she felt sad for Shippou or perhaps it was because she was reminded of her father's death and how she was too young to cry when he died. Another tear fell.

Sesshoumaru watched in silence as yet another tear slid down her smooth cheek. As far as he knew, the death of the Takani had nothing to do with her so why she was crying he had no idea. _Women, _he thought with an imperceptible shake of his head. Golden eyes followed the motions of her hands as they hurriedly brushed the tears away.

"Why do you cry, miko?"

At the word 'cry', Kagome knew she was done for. The tears that she had been trying to hold back surged past her defenses once again, flowing freely like there was no tomorrow. Not wanting Sesshoumaru to see her cry and hence deem her weak, she lowered her head to hide her face behind her bangs while attempting to stem her rapidly falling tears with her hands.

Sesshoumaru did what he does best when she began crying steadily. He steeled his heart and acted indifferent, like he was merely a spectator looking in from the outside. It was simple, really, tears are born from emotions and emotions are weak. This in turn means that to shed tears equals being weak and Sesshoumaru never associates himself with anything weak. However, he couldn't stand it any longer when one of her muffled sniffles reached his ears.

"Stop crying, miko," he said, instantly regretting the way it had come out harsher than he meant to be.

As if feeling sorry for his words, he held out a white silk handkerchief to Kagome who accepted it gratefully. Sesshoumaru watched as she dabbed her eyes dry and for a split second, he contemplated drying her tears for her. The stoic taiyoukai blamed it on the striking similarity between the miko and Rin.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I shouldn't have cried like that."

They stood with no words exchanged, each absorbed in their own thoughts until her quiet voice broke the silence.

"I was reminded of my father," Kagome said and out spilled the entire story before she knew what she was doing.

All these years she had never let anyone know just how much her father's early demise affected her and here she was telling everything to a demon she had known for less than a week. The sapphire eyed girl was very sure that Sesshoumaru would scoff at her and tell her to keep her it to her miserable herself. However, to his credit, the demon lord listened patiently with hardly a sound all the way to the end.

_So that was the reason behind her tears? _Somehow Sesshoumaru didn't find the human girl weak or pathetic but rather the opposite. He could tell that the proud miko does not go running around telling everyone about this but why she chose to tell him, he had no idea. What surprised him even more was the fact that he had actually listened to every word she said.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to all that, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said apologetically.

He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way indicating that he didn't care.

"You should wash your face, Kagome. This Sesshoumaru will be taking his leave now."

She nodded and stopped by the washroom before going to get Rin who was playing in the kitchen.

oOo

Later that evening, while Kagome was doing the dishes in the kitchen, Shippou decided that he really wanted to know the actual purpose for Sesshoumaru's visit earlier in the afternoon. It must have been something very bad because he couldn't help but notice that her eyes looked somewhat red and puffy when he was saying goodbye to Rin. She looked like she had been crying.

_If Sesshoumaru made her cry, I promise I will make his life very, very miserable indeed, _Shippou thought as he made a fist and imagined Sesshoumaru's face before him, although how he was to accomplish that he still did not know. It was at that moment that Kagome chose to exit the kitchen and found Shippou glaring at a pillow on the couch, shaking his little fist at it.

Wondering just what had the pillow done to warrant such a reaction from the fox kit, she asked, "Shippou-chan, what are you doing?"

"Oh, erm, nothing," he answered quickly, looking everywhere except at her.

"If you say so," she said before plopping down beside him. _Now I have to tell him about his father. Okay, how am I supposed to do that? Shippou, your dad is dead. No! That's just too abrupt. Erm … oh great, where is Sango when I need her?_

Shippou, determined to find out what business Sesshoumaru had with Kagome climbed up into the girl's lap.

Noticing that she was staring at the opposite wall, he called her name to catch her attention.

"Yes, Shippou?" she asked, in what she hoped was a cheery voice.

"I, er, I want to ask you, what did Sesshoumaru want with you today?"

"Well, he … he came to tell me something." _Okay, breathe in, breathe out. Right, I can do this. I just hope that he doesn't take it too badly. _

Just as she opened her mouth to tell Shippou what Sesshoumaru said, the little kitsune interrupted her.

"Was he the one who made you cry, Kagome? You can tell me. I will make him pay for that," he declared stoutly.

The human girl blinked her eyes at the fox kit seated on her lap and shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

"No, Shippou. I cried because of something else."

"What is it, Kagome?"

"I'll tell you that some other time alright? Right now, I have to let you know what Sesshoumaru came to tell me."

Shippou couldn't help feeling that something bad was about to happen, or in this case, something bad was about to reach his ears.

Kagome sucked in a deep breath before saying, "Shippou, your father, he has passed away."

The silence in the room was deafeningly loud with the soft whirring of the ceiling fan overhead being the only sound.

Shippou felt as if he had been hit by a truck and then run over by a bus. He couldn't believe what he just heard. It is impossible! His father was the strongest kitsune youkai on earth; his father was a general in the army! Doesn't this mean that his father cannot die?

_Your father has passed away, _Kagome's soft voice echoed once more in his head. _Papa is dead … papa … no …no … NO!_

Kagome looked at the young kitsune worriedly. Shock was written all over his young features and he little body was rigid, as if he had been turned into stone.

"Shippou? Are you okay?"

"Papa … he cannot die … he cannot …"

He clung desperately to the childish hope of saying it over and over again so that it would come true and his father would not be dead. Yet, he was not young enough so as to not understand what being dead means. The tears came rolling down to trace the curves of his round face. Dimly, he registered Kagome's arms wrapping around him and pulling him against her chest.

"It's okay, Shippou. Let it all out, I'm here for you," she whispered, rubbing his back gently and soothingly.

The fox cub did just as he was told. Holding nothing back, he let his tears soak through the t-shirt Kagome was wearing.

Shippou cried long and hard for the loss of his father, the one youkai who loved him more than life itself. He cried because he is truly an orphan now that his father is gone, having never known of his mother who had died during childbirth. He cried for the times that he had spent with his father as well as for the times that he would never get to spend with his father anymore.

They sat there on the couch, the human miko comforting the demon child, both paying no heed to everything around them. Neither noticed that Sango should have arrived home from the self-defense class she attended every week more than an hour ago.

oOo

* * *

A/N: I'm 3 reviews short of a hundred ::hint hint:: 


	16. Petal 16

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Inuyasha.

A/N: I really can't believe that I have more than a hundred reviews now! This is the most I've gotten for any of my stories so far. You guys rock! Have a cookie everyone!

To:

won't be the Victim - Hmmm ... SessKag action. It'll be soon (I hope). No promises there because my muse has this bad habit of running off somewhere else all the time.

Orchidaceae - Thank you::bows::

LadyYome - Thank you for being my 100th reviewer!

LadySafire - Your review pushed me over the 100 review mark. Thank you.

magix234 - Hehe ... read on to find out. ::winks::

sliferret101 - Aaa ... I'm trying my best to be one (a good author) ::blush:: Glad you like the story.

LittleFoxDemon - Hehe ... I've always had this thing for a giggling Shippou. Anyway, this chapter shouldn't be as sad as the last one.

kagsesslover14 - Thank you!

Amaya Mishugosha - Yep::jumps up and down happily:: It's all thanks to you guys!

Sesshy's princess Kagome - Yeah, about the whole Sess and Kag thing, I've never really believed in 'love at first sight' so ... doesn't really make sense to put it in here if I don't believe in it in the first place. Hehe ... what happened to Sango? Find out below!

KnockKnock313 - Well ... I try not to make Sango suffer unnecessarily.

CobaltHeart - Oh dear, don't cry. ::hands you a tissue:: I'm sure you won't find this chapter as sad as the previous one. And yeah, I really think that Kagome and Rin look alike.

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

A dark figure slipped into the locker room and closed the door behind him as soundlessly as possible. Not bothering to switch on the lights, it moved down the aisle until it reached the locker labeled '035'. A small grin formed on its face.

Sliding a skeleton key into the keyhole, it unlocked the metal door with a soft click. The figure glanced around before letting the door fall open and reaching out for the light pink canvas bag the locker contained.

Noiselessly, it rummaged through the bag, its beady little eyes literally glittering in the darkness. _Found it! _Carefully, it unscrewed the cap of the white water bottle and dropped a little, triangular tablet inside. The water fizzled for a moment before dying down.

Silently, the figure replaced everything and made sure nothing looked out of place before clicking the locker shut once again. Gleefully, it rubbed its hands together as it made its way out. Now all that was left to do is wait.

oOo

"Bye Sango! See you next week!"

"Bye Ami!" Sango called out with a wave at the girl walking out the door.

Alone in the locker room, Sango unzipped her bag and pulled out her water bottle for a much needed drink. Today's class was a rather demanding one for the instructor had shown them a couple of new moves that left her feeling achy all over.

Gulping down the cool liquid, Sango snuck a glance at the clock on the wall. _Oops, I better hurry or I'll miss the bus._ Stuffing the white bottle into her bag, she slung the backpack over her shoulders and headed for the door.

Her hand had barely rested on the doorknob when she suddenly felt incredibly light-headed. A fine sheen of cold sweat covered her forehead as the objects within her line of vision begin to waver and blur, each one overlapping with the other until she could hardly make out what they are exactly.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening to her, Sango blacked out and fell down unceremoniously onto the cold, hard floor.

On the other side of the door, a figure heard the distinct thump that told of a fallen person. Opening the door by a crack, dark eyes peered inside and landed on the female figure lying unconscious near him. A small grin appeared on its round face. Everything had gone according to plan!

Fishing a mobile phone out of a pocket, the figure rapidly dialed a number. It rang three times before the familiar voice of his master answered it.

"Have you got her?"

"Yes, master."

"Good. Bring her up to my place."

"Yes. I'll be there shortly."

The figure put the phone back into his pocket and set about to taking the unconscious girl away.

oOo

"Hachi!" Miroku called out as soon as he stepped into his apartment.

"Yes, Master Miroku?" asked the plump figure coming out of the kitchen.

Deep violet eyes took one look at the raccoon demon and asked sweetly, "Have you been raiding my fridge again, Hachiemon?"

Hachi visibly swallowed a gulp. His master hardly ever used his full name and whenever he did, it meant that something bad is going to happen.

"I-I, well, I came here right away and I got h-hungry so I took some food," he answered carefully, hoping that Miroku wouldn't make him pay for each and every single item he had eaten. The man had done it before so it wouldn't be all that surprising if he did it again.

To his utmost surprise and relief, Miroku simply shook his head and sighed.

"What am I going to do with you, Hachi?"

"Keep me around?" the demon suggested hopefully. Free food was hard to come by these days.

"Very funny. By the way, where's the girl?"

"I put her in your bedroom but she's not awake yet. I must say though, she's quite a pretty little human. You should enjoy yourself once she's awake."

Miroku did not even think when he brought his hand down with a loud, hard smack on the tanuki's head.

"Who do you take me for? A pervert?"

The youkai whimpered as he clutched his head in pain, mumbling under his breath, "You have always been one."

"What was that, Hachiemon?" asked Miroku.

"N-Nothing. I'll be going now. Good night!"

With that the raccoon disappeared through the front door, running as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.

Miroku couldn't help the grin that formed on his handsome face as he walked to his bedroom. _A pretty girl, huh?_

However, nothing prepared him for what, or rather, who, he was about to find in his room.

oOo

Miroku dropped down into a chair, a glass of his strongest brandy in his hand. He still couldn't bring himself to believe what he had just seen. There lying on his bed was none other than the one woman who he had been dreaming of consistently for ages.

_This is too weird to be true. I must be dreaming, _he thought as he downed the brandy in one shot. The liquor burned at his throat, but he could hardly care less. All this was just part of another one of the dreams he had of her that tormented him every night. Miroku knew that if he were to go back into his room right now, the bed would be empty, as if no one had been there in the first place.

Nevertheless, he couldn't deny the fact that she had looked so real, unlike the one that had appeared in his dreams. Part of him wanted to believe that she is really here but another more rational part of him simply told him that he was seeing things and going crazy.

Clenching his hand into a fist, he stood up and made his way to his room again. He will prove that she is nothing more than a figment of his imagination even though it would break his heart.

Slowly, he pushed the door that he had left ajar open as if afraid of what he would, or would not, find. His eyes grew wide as he took in the feminine figure clad in a white polo tee and grey stretch pants that still lay on his bed. _This cannot be. She's supposed to have disappeared by now. _

Miroku dropped down onto his knees beside his king-sized bed, his energy having seemed to have deserted him. This close to her, he could hear her soft, even breathing and see her chest rising and falling with every breath she took. He could even smell the sweet lavender scent of her shampoo that emanated from her long, dark-brown tresses.

Tentatively, he reached out a hand and gently stroked her cheek, slightly afraid that if he even applied the slightest bit of pressure she would vanish into thin air. Her skin felt as smooth as it looked and not to mention that it was warm beneath his long fingers. She looked very peaceful, like a sleeping goddess and he wondered if that was what she looked like every time she slept.

"Bodhisattva," he whispered.

Gingerly, he touched her slightly parted lips, tracing the shape of her small mouth. They felt soft to his finger and he wondered if they would feel just as soft beneath his lips. _If this really is a dream, I'm going to make sure it will be one worth remembering, _he thought before closing his eyes and pressing his lips onto hers.

oOo

Her head was throbbing painfully when she regained some form of consciousness. Groggily Sango cracked open her eyes and sat up. Despite the obvious sluggishness of her mind, she was aware that wherever she currently was, it was not what she would like to call familiar grounds.

Immediately, she looked down at herself. _Good, I still have all my clothes on, _she thought with a relieved sigh. _But where am I?_

It appeared that she was in a bedroom, if the large bed she was currently sitting on was any indication. A cupboard made of some kind of dark cherry colored wood stood on her right and in the corner of the room was a beige, two-seater sofa. Sango wondered briefly at why anyone would place that particular piece of furniture there for the color didn't exactly match with that of the other furniture found in the room. Then again, there didn't seem to be a particular color scheme for this room either.

Glancing over to where the window is, Sango tried to discern the current time. No light filtered in through the curtains so she couldn't tell for certain if it was still night or if the day had come but prevented from showing due to the thick, heavy-looking curtains.

Sango looked down at her hands. For the life of her, she couldn't recall to whom this room belonged to or for that matter, how she had ended up here in the first place. The last thing she remembered was getting ready to go home after her self-defense class but from the looks of it, she didn't make it back home. _Just what had happened?_

"Ah, you're awake."

The distinctly male voice shook her out of her thoughts. Directing her gaze towards the source of the voice, she found a young man who looked to be in his early twenties standing at the door, a smile on his face.

He had an open, honest face and a friendly smile that Sango couldn't help but return a little shyly. Dressed in a plain black button-down shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, Sango thought he was pretty good-looking despite his unruly black hair that looked like they would do well to be introduced to a comb.

However, what she found captivating about him was his deep, violet colored eyes. They were of such a unique color and didn't in any way look like they were caused by the artificial tint of colored contact lenses. Also, his eyes spoke of the knowledge and wisdom he had accumulated over the years although how that was possible she had no idea for she didn't think that he could be any older than twenty-three. Deep inside, she felt that she had seen eyes like that before but where and when she had no idea. Sango was pretty sure that she would remember anyone with eyes like his.

Trying not to let him know that she had been checking him out, she quickly fired out two questions, "Who am I? Where are you?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow at her blunder causing Sango to blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry, what I mean was 'Who are you' and 'Where am I'," she said looking down at the quilt, suddenly finding the pattern of interweaving lines there very interesting.

"Fujisawa Miroku at your service, Sango and you're currently in my bedroom," he replied with a slight bow.

"Wh-How did you know my name?"

"I know more than just your name," he said with a roguish grin.

"Yamada Sango, 21 years old as of the 18th of February this year, a second-year undergraduate at the Tokyo University where you major in Japanese linguistics. Your height is 5'3", blood type O negative. Your family consists of your father, Yamada Kenichi, your mother, Yamada Hana, and your 16 year-old brother, Yamada Kohaku. You're currently working as a part-timer in a flower shop called 'Petals' in Sakura Street. Am I correct so far?"

Sango was both shocked and angry. Shocked because a stranger knew so much and so well about her that he could just recite it on the spot, angry because he looked so smug about it. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to give him a good punch just to wipe that smug smile off his face, handsome or not.

"Who are you exactly? How do you know all those things about me?" asked Sango angrily.

"Well, I believe that it is my business to find out everything about the person I'm going abduct."

That was true up until the part where her physical appearance was concerned. Miroku didn't know how he had managed to overlook her picture when he was researching all about her for if he hadn't he probably would not have been so shocked to see her. The uncanny resemblance between Sango and the girl who saved him 500 years ago was downright unbelievable._ Sango must be her reincarnation._

"Abduct?" Sango asked, her dark brown eyes narrowing.

Grabbing the nearest thing at hand, which happened to be a pillow, she threw it with all her might, feeling rather pleased with herself when it hit him right in the face but annoyed that it hadn't been something harder and more solid.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT TO ABDUCT ME FOR?"

In a serious voice, he replied, "I believe that abductors generally do not explain their entire motive the one who has been abducted. Let's put it this way, shall we? I need you for something so I abducted you, end of story."

"What?" she gasped.

"Don't worry, I won't harm you. That is not my intention. You are not my target, merely the bait. It wouldn't do for the bait to get hurt, don't you think?" Miroku asked with another smile.

"If you think I'm going to believe a word you just said, mister, think again!" snapped Sango as she climbed out of the bed.

"Where are you going, Sango?"

"Where does it look like I'm going? I'm getting away from this place also known as escaping!" she said as she stalked towards the door.

"Well, we can't let that happen now, can we?" asked Miroku pleasantly as he stepped in front of the advancing woman.

"Try and stop me," growled Sango.

"My pleasure, my lovely Sango."

"I'm not yours," Sango said through clenched teeth as she threw a punch at his face.

Miroku dodged it and flashed the agitated female in front of him a grin. _That can be easily remedied, _he thought as he leapt to the side to dodge a low kick aimed at the place between his legs. This however, caused him to miss another quick flying punch from her left hand and he felt it connect solidly with his cheek.

"That hurt, my dear Sango," he said, touching the sore spot with his fingers.

Inwardly, he winced. Boy, she sure can punch! Looks like all those self-defense classes that she attended had not gone to waste. No doubt, his cheek would be sporting a bruise very soon. Perhaps he should start taking her more seriously now.

"It had better," snapped Sango.

Never one to hit a woman, Miroku settled for dodging and darting away from her kicks and punches while still carefully keeping himself positioned between her and the door.

Sango was very frustrated. She tried to look for an opening where she could dart through the door and out of the room but there was none. The one punch she had landed on the man's face was the only one she managed to give him so far and her muscles were beginning to feel rather tired.

Miroku noticed the gradual slumping of her shoulders and suppressed a grin. When she aimed another punch at his face, he grabbed hold of her wrist tightly in his hand. Sango lifted her other hand but it met with the same fate as its counterpart.

"You bastard! Let go of me!" she cried, struggling against his strong hold.

"Language, my dear Sango."

For that, she tried to kick him. Yet, all she found was her back meeting the side of the cupboard with a loud thump, her hands pinned above her head, his legs between hers and his body pressing against her own. All in all, it successfully prevented her from moving too much.

"My, you're an aggressive one, Sango," he said in a low, husky voice.

Their faces were so near that Sango could feel his warm breath ghosting across her cheek. Her heart began beating faster for no reason obvious to her. Neither could she help the blush that crept up her cheeks at being in a position that could only be called intimate with a man as good looking as Miroku.

"You leave me to choice but to do this, Sango," said Miroku softly and in what Sango thought was a rather apologetic tone.

She opened her mouth to shoot a retort at him but before she could do so, her eyes slid shut and she slumped forward, unconscious once more courtesy of two of Miroku's fingers pressed against the side of her neck.

"I'm sorry," Miroku whispered as he gathered the woman in his arms and carried her back to his bed.

oOo

Somewhere in her semi-conscious mind, she thought she heard the faint sound of something ringing. Dimly it occurred to her that the ringing sounded awfully familiar, kind of like that of her mobile's ring tone. _My phone!_

Instantly, she jolted up and grabbed the shrilly ringing phone from the seat beside her.

"Sango?"

"Not really, my dear Kagome," a deep voice said, chuckling lightly.

Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear to check the caller ID. True enough, Sango's name stared back at her from the little screen and yet the voice she had just heard belonged to a man.

"Who are you? What are you doing with Sango's phone?"

"Who am I?" he paused for a while before continuing, "That's rather hard to answer. Am I a friend or am I an enemy? Well, that's up to you to decide although I would prefer that you think of me as a friend. As for what I'm doing with Sango's phone, I'm borrowing it for a while."

"Where is Sango? What have you done to her?" Kagome asked, anxiety creeping into her voice. _Please don't let anything bad happen to Sango._

"She's currently asleep on my bed. Don't worry; I haven't done anything … yet."

Kagome couldn't help the blush that colored her cheeks at the rather suggestive tone of his voice.

"You – You … pervert! You better not touch Sango or else … or else …"

"Or else what, my dear Kagome?" he asked silkily.

"I'll purify you all the way to hell!"

The person on the other end let out an amused laugh much to Kagome's displeasure.

"I thought you would come up with a better threat than that. Let me tell you something, you will never be able to purify me even in a thousand years, my dear little miko."

"Who are you exactly? How did you know I'm a miko?"

"You know, your lovely friend just asked me a similar question not too long ago. Let's just say that I believe it's my business to find out everything about my target, Higurashi Kagome."

"Y-Your target?" Kagome asked with a frown on her face.

"Yes. You are my target, my dear Kagome and your friend, Sango, is the bait I need to draw you out."

"What do you want with me?" she bit out. _How dare he use Sango to get to me!_

"Meet me later, 3.30 am, at the gazebo beside the fountain in Lakeside Garden and you'll find the answer to that question. Come alone and don't be late. Oh and don't even think of calling the police or else I don't know what will happen to the lovely Sango."

"You – wait!"

Wait he did not for he had cut off the call, leaving behind only the dull beeping of a dead line.

_Kami-sama, Sango has been kidnapped! And that guy had the nerve to say that he's a friend! _

Kagome's first reaction was to pick up the phone and notify the police but the fear of something bad happening to Sango if she did just that stopped her. The man sounded like he would do good to his threat and Kagome really didn't want that to happen.

Glancing at a nearby clock, Kagome saw that it was already 2.45 a.m. _Crap!_ Hurriedly, she scrambled off the couch and into her room where an exhausted Shippou lay asleep on the bed. Snatching up a pen and paper from her desk, she quickly scribbled a note for Shippou and left it on the bedside table. Hopefully, she'd be able to get home with Sango safe and sound before the kitsune cub is awake.

The clock ticked towards 2.49 a.m. Already, Kagome was out of her apartment and on her way towards the designated meeting place. She didn't even pause for a moment to think of the danger that she might be in.

oOo

* * *

A/N::Gasp:: Sango has been kidnapped! Fear not, Kagome to the rescue! (I hope) 


	17. Petal 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Clear enough?

A/N: This long-ish (by my standards, that is) is a peace offering. I'm being loaded down with assignments that take up most of my spare time so I don't have much time to spend on writing fanfiction. Unfortunately, this will also mean that updates will become less frequent although I'll try my best to get a chapter out every two weeks. I hope you guys understand. Thank you all for reading and leaving my reviews. I've sent out individual replies to those of you who reviewed and if I've left anyone out, I'm so terribly sorry. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

Sesshoumaru reached for the remote on the low table and stopped the playing movie, successfully cutting off a cartoon character – some kind of orange colored fish, he had no idea what its name was – in mid sentence.

_She must have been very tired,_ he thought as he looked down at the dark brown head in his lap. Rin never fell asleep when watching this particular animated movie so for her to actually do so must only mean that she is tired beyond belief.

_I suppose she did manage to enjoy herself somewhat this afternoon. _All the way back from Kagome's apartment, the little girl had talked of nothing except how much fun she and Shippou had together and how the fox kit is now her 'bestest friend in the whole world'. A small smile flitted across his features.

Almost tenderly, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Although he would never admit it out loud, he always liked watching Rin sleep. He didn't know why but watching her sleep often brought peace to him despite the way his mind would automatically go into a protect-at-all-cost mode every time. Anyone foolish enough to disturb a sleeping Rin on his watch would certainly get more than they bargained for.

Deciding that she would be better off sleeping in her room than on the couch with his lap as her pillow, he picked her up as gently as possible so as not to wake her. The little girl wriggled around for a bit before settling down in his arms, a little hand fisted in his shirt.

After making sure that Rin was properly tucked under the covers, he raised a protective barrier around her room. Although he already had one in place around the whole house, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more careful. After all, he couldn't exactly let Rin get kidnapped a second time now, could he?

With hushed footsteps, he entered his study, intent on calling up his hanyou half-brother. After the assassination of his ex-general by a coyote demon and the attack on himself by horse demons under the command of Entei, he was pretty sure who called the shots.

"WHAT?" a very loud, very annoyed but unfortunately very familiar voice greeted him over the earpiece. It seems that Inuyasha has gotten over Takani's murder already.

"Really, hanyou, where are your manners?"

"HEY! SPEAK UP WILL YOU? IT'S KINDA NOISY IN HERE."

True enough, Sesshoumaru could hear some rather loud sounding music pounding in the background. No doubt the half-demon was in another one of those clubs that he patronized almost religiously every night. How Inuyasha's ears could handle all that abuse he had no idea. Then again, the hanyou's hearing was nowhere as superior as his.

Raising his voice slightly, he instructed, "Go somewhere quieter, hanyou. This Sesshoumaru has news for you."

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered. But judging from the way the music had lessened considerably, Sesshoumaru guessed that the half demon had taken his advice.

"Okay, what news do you have, Sesshoumaru?"

"Naraku is behind Takani's murder as well as today's attack on this Sesshoumaru," the inuyoukai stated.

A very surprised Inuyasha, with his mouth hanging open, very nearly dropped his phone. It was only a matter of whether his jaw would hit the ground first or his phone.

"Wait … you were attacked? When was this?"

"Early this afternoon by ten horse demons."

With a wry grin, Inuyasha stated rather than asked, "I take it none of them survived."

True to his name, Sesshoumaru never spared the lives of those who were stupid enough to attack him. The sun would rise from the west and pigs would fly if he ever did that.

"The attackers were under the direct command of Entei who –"

"Entei? Isn't that the old horse belonging to the brat Hakudoshi?"

"Interrupt this Sesshoumaru again and you'll find yourself missing your tongue, hanyou," Sesshoumaru growled.

"Whatever," he said; idly waving a hand about even though Sesshoumaru couldn't possibly see the gesture. "So you think Naraku's involved in this?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at how fast Inuyasha made the connection between the two. It certainly saved him from going through the trouble of having to spell it out for him. Perhaps Inuyasha wasn't half as stupid as he appeared to be.

"Yes, this Sesshoumaru is sure of that."

"So what do you want me to do now, Sesshoumaru?"

The Taiyoukai gave it a good thought before answering, "Naraku should be somewhere in Tokyo now. Hunt him down and find out what exactly he wants with Rin."

The other side of the line went so quiet that Sesshoumaru actually checked to see whether or not Inuyasha had hung up on him, be it accidental or otherwise.

Finding the line still open, Sesshoumaru said a tentative, "Hanyou."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still here. Look, about that, I'll get back to you as soon I can, okay?" with that, Inuyasha ended the call, much to Sesshoumaru's annoyance. It took a lot of guts, a huge amount of stupidity and endless ignorance to hang up on the Western Taiyoukai.

_Inuyasha had better have a good excuse for doing that._

oOo

A silver haired figure made its way through the throng in the club, bumping into people and squeezing in between any available space just so that he can get to his destination. Sliding into the cool leather seat, he muttered something about people who just didn't know how large their behinds were, much to the amusement of his companion for the evening.

"Why on earth do you always choose such packed places, huh?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"It's harder for us to be overheard this way," said the demon. Slyly, the youkai added, "I thought you knew."

The hanyou with the furry puppy ears glared at the other demon but fought down the urge to properly pound the demon.

"Keh. So what was it that you wanted to tell me just now?"

The youkai glanced around for eavesdroppers before whispering in a voice just loud enough for Inuyasha's ears only.

"The spider is weaving his web again."

Inuyasha tightened his grip on his glass. _So Naraku really is back and he's up to something. We really should have finished him off 500 years ago._

"What kind of web is it this time?"

"A large one, I assure you. He has been patiently spinning his silk and honing his skills while waiting for the prey that will enable him to create his biggest web ever."

Discreetly, the hanyou monitored the other demon's scent and aura in a bid to detect a lie. However, as always, the youkai spoke the truth. It was either that or the demon was one hell of a good liar.

"Who is the prey?"

"The girl he tried to kidnap but failed."

Golden eyes widened in shock and for a moment, he was glad that the lighting in the club was relatively dark so no one could really see his expression. Out on the dance floor, some hard metal music began blaring over the speakers but all Inuyasha could hear was the words spoken by the youkai before him.

_Rin, Naraku wants Rin. _

Immediately, his protective instincts came surging to the surface. Although he couldn't really say that he liked Sesshoumaru very much, the silver haired hanyou doted upon his elder brother's adopted daughter. Thus to hear that his greatest enemy is targeting the little girl, Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to tear Naraku to bits with his own claws. But first, he must find out why the filthy half-breed wanted Rin.

"What does he want with her?" Inuyasha all but growled out.

"Her blood can wake the jewel," the demon said calmly while sipping some sake.

He may look calm on the outside, but on the inside he was literally trembling from the tip of his ears to the ends of his paws. Who knew what Inuyasha would do when he heard about it? After all, the hanyou did have a long history of engaging in violent displays when angered. He really shouldn't have let his master talk him into doing this whole giving information to Inuyasha thing.

Inuyasha tightened his already tight hold on his glass. No doubt, if he applied even a bit more pressure, the glass would surely shatter onto the floor in a hundred little pieces. _Naraku wants Rin for her blood!_

"What jewel is this?" Inuyasha hissed, golden eyes tinged slightly with red.

"T-The Shikon no Tama."

In a flash, the hanyou's eyes went back to their original gold color and he looked at the youkai curiously.

"The Shikon exists? Isn't it just some kind of myth?"

Finding Inuyasha back to normal, the demon heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly gulped down the remaining sake in his cup. For a second there he thought he would not be able to make it back to his master alive tonight.

"It certainly isn't."

Narrowing his eyes at the demon, Inuyasha asked, "How come you're so sure? Have you seen it youself?"

"No, but I have a very reliable source."

"Keh. You say that all the time but I just can't help wondering about the truth behind your words. Hell, I don't even know what you really look like," said Inuyasha as he settled back into his chair.

It was true for the hanyou had never seen the demon's real form. Every single time they met up, the demon had appeared looking nothing like the tanuki youkai Inuyasha knew him to be. Well, assuming that it really is a male demon he's dealing with, that is. Like tonight, for example, the demon had appeared as a blonde and amazingly curvaceous woman. Only through its distinctive aura that Inuyasha was able to recognize it as being his information providing raccoon every time.

Feeling somewhat annoyed, the demon fastened a pair of currently light blue eyes at the hanyou opposite him and glared for all he's worth. If it weren't for the money, he wouldn't even be here in the first place. That, and also because his master could be extremely persuasive when he wants to be.

"Believe what you want, Inuyasha. Hand over tonight's fee and we'll call it a day."

The hanyou rolled his eyes at the obviously displeased demon and tossed over a thick envelope, feeling not the least bit apologetic.

"They're all in there."

Grabbing the brown envelope, the demon hurriedly stuffed it into his coat pocket without even bothering to count the bills it contained. With a curt nod at Inuyasha, he disappeared from the club.

Finishing off the last of his vodka, Inuyasha stood up and left the club. It was time to contact Sesshoumaru.

oOo

Kagome stood beside the fountain, hand pressed to her chest and panting heavily after her mad dash from the park entrance. _I made it. _Never, in all of her twenty years, had she thought that it was possible for her to sprint that distance in just under 3 minutes. Well, at least she never thought it possible until now, that is.

Raising her hand to her brow, she wiped away the little beads of sweat that had formed there. A cool, early morning breeze blew at her causing her to shiver slightly. It was just so like her to come dressed in only a short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans while conveniently forgetting to bring along a jacket to keep herself warm. _Stupid Kagome!_

Rubbing her arms, she looked at her surroundings. Several lampposts bravely cast their meager light around the area surrounding the fountain but despite that, the place still looked pretty gloomy. Although she is hardly one who gets afraid easily, Kagome couldn't help but think that the trees looked rather creepy. They reminded her of one of those horror movies she and Sango would purposely stay up late to watch just to give themselves a good scare.

Turning her back to the trees, she looked down the path that she had come from, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man she was supposed to meet. A low buzzing caught her ear and she looked sharply at the fountain but there was nothing there except for a lone wasp. _So that's where the buzzing came from, _she thought before focusing her attention on the path once more.

Unknown to her, a figure dressed in black was watching her from the shadows. His dark violet eyes traveled over her slim form and lingered appreciatively for somewhat longer than necessary on her pert behind. When she glanced at her watch yet again, he decided that it was high time that he revealed himself.

"I see you've made it just in time, my dear Kagome."

She visibly jumped, not so much as at the sound of the smooth, male voice behind her but rather more at the hand that was currently acting much too friendly with her derriere. Kagome spun around and …

SMACK!

The loud resounding slap that happened to be none other than the impact of Kagome's hand on the man's cheek could probably be heard anywhere within a three-mile radius of the park.

Sapphire clashed with violet.

"You pervert!" she exclaimed. Noting that the man, no, pervert, was alone, she demanded, "Where is Sango?"

The man simply gave her a smile and shook his head as he rubbed the tender spot on his cheek. It really didn't help matters when she managed to hit the exact spot where Sango had punched him earlier on. No way would he be able to escape sporting a bruised cheek now. He should have seen this coming but her rear was just so tempting. It was worth it, end of argument.

"Patience is a virtue, Kagome." Then as an afterthought, he added, "You'll see her soon enough."

The dark-haired girl leveled a glare at him that clearly did nothing to intimidate him for he merely smiled at her and took a step forward.

Even though she did not want to appear as if she was afraid of him, Kagome instinctively took one step backwards. There was something not quite right about this man and she was pretty sure she didn't like that something, whatever it may be. Weren't kidnappers supposed to be brainless, hulking guys with an IQ lower than a bug's instead of being a suave, obviously educated gentleman?

Discreetly, she tried to locate his aura and perhaps endeavor to tap into it. His aura might give her a clue as to who she was up against. However, to her dismay, she could hardly find a trace of the man's aura, not even a tiny bit. Feeling a tad bit exasperated, she could only come up with two explanations for this - either he's one of the living dead or he's doing a very good job at suppressing his aura.

Kagome had a nagging suspicion that it was the latter and that, unfortunately, did not mean well for her. The ebony haired girl was now up against an opponent much stronger than had she initially thought.

"What do you want with me?"

In a flash, they were standing toe-to-toe with him clasping both her small, cold hands in his larger, warmer ones and looking at her in way that could only be described as fond.

"Will you bear my child?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

_What?! _Confusion clouded her sapphire eyes for a moment before flashing angrily as she jerked her hands out of his. Giving him another slap, preferably on the same cheek, certainly is tempting.

"Not on your life!"

"That's certainly a pity. I'm sure we would have created lots of lovely little dark-haired children," he said, not in the least bit affected by her rejection.

"Look here, mister –"

"Miroku. Fujisawa Miroku, although you are free to address me with any terms of endearment you see fit provided that I be allowed to do the same of course, my dear Kagome."

Kagome looked at him like he had suddenly grown another head in addition to the one already on his shoulders. _This guy is … is …_

"You are nuts," she said, settling for the first thing that came to mind.

Miroku simply chuckled at her statement and decided on the spot that Kagome would be a very nice friend to have around.

Although Kagome's glares were nowhere as deadly as Sesshoumaru's, they were still not something to be taken lightly. However, her glares had somehow failed to achieve their purpose with the chuckling man in front of her.

Suddenly, as if deciding that playtime is over, he said to her in a serious tone, "You wished to know what I want with you."

She blinked twice before nodding. One second he was teasing – or was that flirting? - with her and the next he had gone into this get-down-to-business mode. It was as if the person before this and the person now were two very different people entirely.

_Isn't this some kind of disorder? They have a name for it, I'm sure. What was it again? I remembered it sounding remotely like a polar bear._

The smile he gave her when she made the mistake of looking at him sent shivers, and not the good kind, mind you, running down her spine. It was a smile that was both knowing and malevolent at the same time.

"Your life, my dear Kagome, is mine."

oOo

Sesshoumaru stood on his balcony and observed the picture the city's skyscrapers made against the dark, 2 a.m. sky. Try as he might, he couldn't get himself to fall asleep no matter what. It wasn't as if his body really needed the rest badly but still, it was better than having nothing to do. _This Sesshoumaru might even be able to dream of the –_ He caught himself before he could finish the thought and shook his head to push it out of his mind.

Something small and black moving on the rooftop of an office building straight ahead caught his attention. When the little black figure leapt to another building, he narrowed his eyes. _A youkai?_

Golden eyes watched as the figure hopped nimbly from rooftop to rooftop until a tall building hid it from his view. From the way the figure was moving, Sesshoumaru surmised that it was heading his way. Frowning slightly, the inuyoukai leapt lightly onto the railing before launching himself up towards the rooftop of his apartment building. No one passes through his territory at this time of the day and in such a suspicious manner without answering to him first.

His feet had barely touched to cold, cement surface than he launched himself off again, this time heading straight for the rapidly approaching figure. A whiff of the air a moment ago was enough to let him know who he was about to meet.

Landing gracefully on a rooftop adjacent to his apartment, Sesshoumaru waited for the hanyou to arrive. He didn't have to wait long for the half-demon arrived shortly, dressed casually in a deep, red shirt and a pair of white slacks.

"Hanyou."

"Sesshoumaru."

"What are you doing out at this hour of the day?"

The hanyou gave a snort of disbelief before saying, "Since when have you been interested in what I do, huh?"

"Watch your tongue, hanyou," Sesshoumaru growled. _Impudent brat!_

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the inuyoukai. He had never been afraid of his half-brother therefore he wouldn't start now. Personally, he found Sesshoumaru's bark worse than his bite at any given time.

"Keh. I was just going to drop by your house. I have the information you want."

"Come," said Sesshoumaru as he led the way back to his apartment.

oOo

Seated in one of the plush armchairs in his study, Sesshoumaru mulled over what Inuyasha just said.

"The Shikon no Tama," said Sesshoumaru softly. The last time he came across that name was a good 500 years ago.

"Yeah. Ever heard of it?"

"It is a jewel created by the miko Midoriko when she bound her soul to the soul of the youkai she was fighting. Apparently it has the ability to grant any wish to its owner."

"So it's real then?" asked Inuyasha.

"Hn."

"No wonder Naraku wants to revive it. We really should have finished the filthy hanyou off last time, Sesshoumaru."

"Hn."

Inuyasha frowned at the monosyllabic answers Sesshoumaru was giving him. _Oh well, looks like my dear elder brother isn't feeling too talkative today._

Deep in the recesses of his mind, Sesshoumaru wondered how Naraku managed to get his hands on the jewel. As far as he knew, the jewel was under the protection of a very powerful miko whose identity was unknown to him.

Being a Taiyoukai, he seldom made contact with humans, much less those with holy powers unless it was absolutely necessary. Besides, he had never bothered with the jewel unlike so many others for he believed in obtaining power with his own hands rather than by wishing on a little bauble. Therefore, he didn't deem it important to know who the priestess guarding the jewel was.

"Say, Sesshoumaru, why do you think he needs Rin's blood to revive the jewel?"

That was another question that plagued him. Why would Naraku need the blood of a little human girl to bring the jewel back to power? Why his Rin and not any other little girl or boy, for that matter? Now that he thought about it, how did the jewel manage to lose its power in the first place?

"This Sesshoumaru does not know."

Inuyasha blinked at the quiet admission. He had never heard Sesshoumaru admit to not knowing something in all the centuries that he had known his elder half-brother. For him to actually do so must mean that the situation they are in now is infinitely more serious than it seems.

Shrugging off his surprise, the younger half-demon said, "Never mind, we'll know once we get that good for nothing piece of trash. By the way, Sesshoumaru, do you have any food around here? I'm starving."

The hanyou's ability to brush aside any other matter in favor of filling his stomach never ceased to amaze him. _He will never change,_ thought Sesshoumaru as he sighed and made his way to the other side of his penthouse apartment where Jaken's room was located. The toad would have to prepare a very early breakfast today.

oOo

The sharp ringing of a phone interrupted Inuyasha's second, or perhaps third, helping of a traditional Japanese breakfast and Sesshoumaru's quiet meditation over a cup of coffee as he waited for the newspaper his retainer was supposed to bring to him.

Golden eyes glanced at the clock before flipping his phone open. _7.36 a.m. Who on earth would be calling at this time on a Sunday morning?_

"Sesshoumaru speaking."

"Se-Sesshoumaru-sama?" a young, child-like voice accompanied by some sniffling reached his ear.

The squeaky, little voice was somewhat familiar but he couldn't place a face or a name to it.

"Hn. Who are you?"

"Sh-Shippou."

"Hn."

The inuyoukai furrowed his brow. Wasn't Shippou the name of the fox cub currently staying with Kagome? Why would he be calling him so early in the morning?

"Kagome … Kagome is gone. I woke up and she's not back and … and …"

Sesshoumaru registered a particularly loud sob at this point as he tried to comprehend the kitsune cub's words. What did he mean by 'Kagome is gone'?

"Explain yourself, kit."

A deep breath and a handful of snuffles, sobs and sniffles later, Shippou told everything he knew to Sesshoumaru from beginning to end, which wasn't telling very much seeing as how all he knew was limited to what Kagome had scribbled on the note. He wasn't even aware that he had begun repeating himself until Sesshoumaru told him to stop.

The demon lord listened intently while trying not to curse the miko for her stupidity out loud. He had, in no uncertain terms, told her that her life is in danger and what did she do? Go and rescue her friend on her own. _Stupid woman!_

"Stay where you are, kit," said Sesshoumaru. "This Sesshoumaru is coming over."

"Inuyasha, stay here and guard Rin. This Sesshoumaru will be back soon," commanded the Taiyoukai before transforming into a small ball of light and zooming out the open window.

oOo

With his hands in his pocket, Miroku strode down the hallway until he reached a heavy oaken door. He knocked on it three times to signal his presence before admitting himself into the room.

"Hakudoshi said you wanted to see me."

"Ah, Fujisawa, have a seat," said the hanyou, gesturing to the leather chair opposite his.

"So what is it?" the young man asked as he settled himself into the plush chair.

"You didn't kill the miko."

"I know," replied Miroku with a good-natured smile. Naraku must have had his Saimyoushou trailing him the entire night. Come to think of it, he did detect their presence in the park before Kagome's arrival as well as throughout the whole exchange he had with the miko.

"Might I ask why?"

"You want to defeat Sesshoumaru, don't you? I assure you, the miko will prove to be useful. Besides, it's a waste to let a beauty such as her die so soon when we can make good use of her first."

Naraku leaned back into his chair and observed Miroku for a long moment. The man had a habit of disobeying his orders although more often than not, he usually had a good reason behind his actions.

If Miroku found the pair of red eyes that were scrutinizing him like a bug under the microscope unsettling, he didn't show it. Silence stretched between them until Naraku spoke up.

"And how do you know that, Fujisawa?"

"She was the one who saved his daughter. Sesshoumaru being the inuyoukai that he is, will definitely feel obliged to protect her when she's in danger."

_A man after my own heart, _thought Naraku. Chuckling to himself, the half-demon began formulating a plan to ensnare Sesshoumaru in his web. This time around the web will be so sticky that even Sesshoumaru wouldn't be able to escape unless, of course, he died. And then, no one would be able to stop him from using the little girl's blood to wake the Shikon no Tama.

To be able to kill two birds with one stone was a lovely feeling indeed.

oOo

* * *

A/N: Questions answered? More questions? Drop me a review and let me know. Have a great week! 


	18. Petal 18

Disclaimer: Inuyasha. Not. Mine.

A/N: I have a feeling that if I don't tackle the whole deal with Miroku soon I will find myself impaled with various sharp, spiky objects of varying shapes and sizes.

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

Quietly, he slid the shoji door shut behind him, not wanting to wake the two sleeping occupants of the room. Looking at the two peacefully sleeping women, he made a mental note to buy Hachi dinner the next time they met seeing as how the raccoon had carried out his instructions very well tonight. Not only had the tanuki youkai handled the meeting with Inuyasha well, but he had also brought both Sango and Kagome here unharmed. He even had the common sense to cover them up with a blanket before he left.

An uncontained yawn broke his musings and he lifted his arms above his head in a stretch. He had just had a meeting with Naraku and it seemed to have sucked away all his energy. Then again, concocting something up to tell the hanyou always did that to him.

Miroku walked over to where the ebony haired girl lay. _She's a pretty powerful miko, if I say so myself. But could she be the one I'm looking for? _Violet eyes skimmed over her fair face. _Oh well, only one way to find out, _he thought with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Sitting down on the wooden floor, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before seeking out her soul with his own. He had to find the one distinctive pattern deep in the core of her soul that marks her as being Higurashi Kagome in order to get the answer to his question. In a way, he was glad that he had put her under a sleeping spell for reading a soul was rather tricky. It cannot be done unless the one whose soul was being read was in a very relaxed state.

It didn't take long for Miroku to find Kagome's soul – it was very near the surface of her heart. Immediately he plunged deep until he reached her soul's core, lips quirking upwards when he found saw the pattern on it. Somehow he knew that he should have expected her soul to have a pattern like this, simple yet beautiful.

His violet eyes snapped open in the darkness. The pattern corresponded with the one that had been imprinted in his mind five centuries ago. There was no mistaking it. Like fingerprints, no two living human shared the same soul pattern. She must be the reincarnation the miko meant.

Quietly, he retreated to his own room, a smile evident on his handsome face. He couldn't believe his luck; Buddha must be smiling down on him today._ I've found you at last!_

oOo

Despite only being able to go to sleep at nearly six o'clock in the morning, Miroku found himself awake two hours later. Finding it impossible to return to sleep, he decided to get up and perhaps do some planning now that he had found the miko's reincarnation.

Kneeling in front of a large trunk in the corner of the room, he lifted the lid and pulled out a fresh change of clothes. The soft cloth of the deep purple garment in his hands brought back many memories, some of them good and some of them decidedly not. He had been through thick and thin with these robes and they were very much an important part of him.

Stepping out onto the veranda, he looked up at the sky. It was cloudy but not cloudy enough to bring rain.

_Just like that day._

-- Flashback --

Rapidly, he descended the temple steps, sometimes taking them two at a time. It was his turn to do the cleaning today so he wanted to be as far away from the temple as possible by the time his master wakes up from his sake induced stupor.

When he finally reached the bottom of the long flight of stone steps, he debated between turning right and going towards the village and turning left to go towards the forest. Miroku glanced up at the light grey sky overhead and turned right, a smile lighting up his face. Hopefully, the pretty village maidens would already be at the river by the time he reached the one passage of water that fed the little village. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he last visited Suzume, Akiko, Michiru, Naoko, Hitomi and, well, the list goes on.

As he was passing the grove of wild bamboos that bordered the village, something red partially hidden by a mound of earth caught his eye. How could he not since it was literally sticking out like a sore thumb in the mostly green and brown bamboo grove?

Cautiously, Miroku made his way towards it, his hand gripping his Shakujo tightly, his senses alert for any signs of trouble. A gasp escaped him and his violet eyes widened when he saw exactly what was on the ground. A woman, garbed in the attire of a priestess, lay on her back, her eyes closed and her pale skin a ghastly white. At her chest was a four diagonal slashes, like that caused by an animal's claws. Her pristine white kimono shirt was a dark crimson.

Initially, he thought that she was dead, but the slight rising and falling of her chest told him otherwise. Immediately, he dropped down beside her with every intention of saving the heavily wounded miko's life. All thoughts of the village maidens left his mind.

In all his 18 years, Miroku had never seen so much blood before. He doubted that a person could lose that much blood and live to tell the tale. _She needs a healer, and fast! _Rolling up his sleeves, he tried to slide his arms beneath her. The miko didn't look very heavy so he could easily carry her into the village to seek treatment.

He had barely touched her when she uttered a low moan and opened her eyes. The miko looked at him with glazed brown eyes and for a moment, Miroku thought that she had passed on into the afterlife. The particular thought went out his mind the minute she caught his hand and gripped it tightly, like her very life depended on it.

"It's alright, miko-sama. I'm going to bring you to a healer," said Miroku reassuringly.

Still, her grip didn't loosen.

"Must … help … Nara … ku … attack … jewel …"

Although he strained his ears to listen carefully, he could hardly make out what she was trying to say. Her voice was soft and it seemed to be fading fast.

"What is it that you want to tell me, miko-sama? I'll definitely help you if it's within my means to do so. But first, let me get you to a healer."

She wheezed noisily as she struggled to get air into her punctured lungs.

"No … I … don't have … much … time. Listen … to me," she said, her words coming out in short gasps as she tugged at his hand.

In a sudden burst of energy, she started speaking again. Although her voice was soft but it was much clearer and stronger than before. Her previously lifeless-looking dark brown eyes were now flashing with what Miroku assumed was anger.

"I am … the protector of … the Shikon no Tama. The hanyou … Naraku … he attacked … me … and stole … the jewel. You must … get it back … and … return it … to my … reincarnation."

"You're the Shikon miko?" he asked, sounding slightly in awe.

She nodded as a violent bout of coughing hit her.

"Promise … promise me … you'll … do … this … houshi."

"I'll do what I can, miko-sama, but how will I recognize your reincarnation?"

"Memorize … my soul … pattern. My … reincarnation … will have … the same … soul … pattern. Forgive … me … I have … to bind … your soul … to the … jewel … temporarily. Houshi … until … you … succeed … you will … not … age like … a … mortal … man."

The priestess muttered some unintelligible chants and a bright flash of light lit up the gloomy grove. Miroku felt something hit his chest and instantly warmth began spreading throughout his body. At the same time, something warm and pure-feeling, attached itself to his soul.

The binding of the monk's soul to the four spirits in the jewel had robbed her of any energy, both physical and spiritual, she had remaining but still she struggled to keep her consciousness.

"The … jewel … it is … powerless … now. Midoriko … sealed it … when … she died … one … hundred … years … ago. But … the blood … of the … the Chosen … One … can … wake it."

"The Chosen One?"

Another bout of coughing wrecked havoc with her already frail body.

"A human … girl … born … at … midnight … during a … lunar … eclipse … that happens … once … in … 500 years. Remember … houshi … return the … jewel … to … my … rein … car … na … tion."

"I promise you, miko-sama."

A small smile graced the miko's blue lips as her eyes slid shut forever.

Overhead, grey clouds scurried across the sky, cloaking the earth with their shadow.

-- End Flashback --

Miroku heaved a sigh as memories of that fateful day washed over him. Now that he had found Kagome, he was one step closer to fulfilling his promise as well as the end to his abnormally long life. He couldn't wait to age and die like a mortal man for he now knew that it wasn't man's curse but a blessing.

oOo

When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a small room, lit up only by the meager amount of light the shoji door allowed through. At first she thought that she was back in her old home at the shrine but it didn't take long for her to dispel that notion. _Since when do I sleep on futons at home?_

"Kagome?"

She turned her head to find the girl she was out to rescue looking at her from another futon.

"Sango? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise and wasted no time in scrambling over to her friend's side.

"Are you alright? How did you end up here? Did he do anything to you? I swear if he did I'll skin him alive that perverted toad spawn!"

Sango raised her hands, palms facing outward, to stop the barrage of questions coming out of her best friend.

"Woah, woah, slow down, girl. Now, yes, I'm fine. I don't know how I ended up here. No, I think he didn't do anything to me."

Kagome looked a bit skeptical at the last answer. "You think?"

The brown haired girl looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, well, he could have done something. I remember fighting him in his room and now I'm here. I think I blacked out somewhere along the lines."

"You fainted?"

"Hmm … I can't remember. Anyway, how did you get here, Kagome?"

_How did I get here?_

-- Flashback --

"Your life, my dear Kagome, is mine."

"Oh yeah? Sorry, but I don't give it up so easily," she said.

Silently, she called up her miko powers. They might not be able to purify him, seeing as how he's a human and all that, but they could leave some pretty bad burns if she wanted them to. Hopefully she'll be able to make him injured enough to physically overcome him so that she can escape. Oh, but before that she would make him tell her of Sango's whereabouts.

Without a second thought she fired a pink bolt directly at his chest.

_No!_ The purifying bolt that she had sent directly to his chest collided with something solid and dispersed. Not the least bit disheartened, she shot another much stronger one at him. It met with the same end as the one before it. She could even hear the thud her power orb made when it struck what she assumed was the smooth surface of a …

Her sapphire eyes widened as realization hit her. _He's got a barrier around him!_ What surprised her more was the fact that the barrier felt like a holy barrier.

Miroku couldn't help but grin when she recognized his barrier for what it is.

"I told you that you can't harm me, Kagome."

She scowled at him, knowing that he had been right. Her miko powers wouldn't even be able to singe the hair of someone with holy powers as strong as his. _Great, just great. _Since when do kidnappers have holy powers?

He took a step forward, violet eyes watching her carefully. To his amusement, she stood her ground, a pink orb slightly larger than a tennis ball hovering above her palm. _What are you going to do now, my dear Kagome?_

Not ready to give up just yet, Kagome focused a large amount of her powers into the glowing sphere in her hand. Instead of growing bigger as how one would naturally assume it to be, it shrunk until it was only roughly the size of a ping-pong ball. Willing her powers to be offensive for once, she waited until he was near enough before shooting it at him point blank.

Miroku was a little surprised when the small bolt hit his barrier, causing it to waver rather noticeably. He barely had time to strengthen his barrier again than he felt something hit his chest, throwing him onto the ground with a bit more force than was necessary.

"Oww …" he groaned as he stood up. The front of his shirt was ruined; the black cotton material did nothing to hide the obviously scorched mark there. To make matters worse, there was a stinging pain at his chest. The girl was smart; he had to give her that. _Damn!_

"That was my favorite shirt, Kagome," he informed her.

"Oh? Just so you know, I'm not sorry," she said, glaring at him defiantly.

Miroku sighed. The miko was more trouble than he originally thought. He really didn't enjoy fighting, much less with a woman. Nearby, the wasp was buzzing, no doubt still keeping both eyes on him. Now, how was he going to let her keep her life without making it seem obvious that he was letting her live?

Muttering something under his breath, he watched as Kagome's shoulders sag and her eyes drift shut. He caught her limp form in his arms before she could hit the ground and picked her up. For now, he would take her to his sanctuary. He would deal with Naraku later.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," was all she heard before her mind officially shut down and she gave in to the sleep forced upon her.

-- End Flashback --

A hand was waving in front of her face as a worried voice asked, "Kagome? Kagome, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah."

"You spaced out all of a sudden. Did something happen?"

"No, I was just thinking about how I ended up here. He must have put a sleeping spell on me and brought me to this place."

"He? Who's he?"

"Miroku, the guy who kidnapped you."

Sango narrowed her eyes at the girl in front of her, her elder sisterly instincts kicking in on the spot.

"You went and confronted him alone? Kagome, don't you realize how dangerous it could be?"

"Sango, that guy actually called me up saying something about me as his target and you as the bait. Did you expect me to just let it be, knowing that I can do something about it? I'm sorry but I can't do that."

The older girl sighed and pulled her best friend in for a hug.

"Thank you, Kagome. I know you meant well, but don't you think that it's a bad idea to have the two of us in the middle of Kami knows where?"

"It wasn't supposed to turn out this way," Kagome mumbled against Sango's shoulder.

The ebony haired girl blamed herself for the way things had turned out. She was supposed to save Sango, not end up in the same situation. However, now was hardly the time for her to feel guilty. To make it up to Sango, she must get them out of here safely.

Extracting herself from Sango's embrace, she said, "Sango, I think we should get out of this place now."

"Yeah, I think so too."

oOo

Miroku sat meditating on the veranda, his expression calm as a gentle breeze lifted his bangs ever so slightly. Although it was nearing noon, the sun was still hidden behind some clouds, allowing only a scant amount of her light to grace the earth below.

He took in another deep breath before wrapping up his daily meditation. Opening his eyes, he watched as a little sparrow hopped around looking for something remotely edible to call lunch. Having no such luck, it flew away to greener pastures.

The dark haired man watched as the sparrow disappeared into the distance. Idly, he wondered if his two lovely guests have woken up from their slumber when a soft, almost inaudible step on the floorboard sounded from around the corner. Silently, he masked his presence. It seems that he'll be having some company soon.

Kagome expanded her aura and tried to detect the presence of another person beyond the corner. Finding none, she rounded the corner only to find herself staring straight into the highly amused eyes of a man clad in the purple robes of a monk sitting on the veranda. _He masked his presence! I should have known! The sneaky pervert!_

"Good morning, or should I say, good afternoon, my dear Kagome."

She stood there at a loss for words. Her upbringing dictated that she give a greeting in return to the one given by the man but her other, more rational side rebelled against the idea of greeting her captor. Thus she settled for glaring at him. _At least Sango will know to run the other way now._

"My lovely Sango, why don't you come out and join us instead of hiding there?"

_Damn, I spoke too soon, _Kagome thought with a scowl as Sango emerged, an expression that spoke of guilt on her face.

"Have a seat, ladies. Would you like some tea?" he asked, motioning to the pot of tea beside him.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Sango asked, "Okay, mister, what are you playing at? Why are we here? How come you're wearing a monk's robes?"

"It's a long story, ladies. Pray, have a seat."

Seeing as the other choice was to jump over the wooden railing and possibly roll all the way down the small, pebble covered hill, the two girls plopped down somewhat reluctantly before Miroku who smilingly set out two clay cups of steaming green tea.

"Well then, shall I begin?"

oOo

It was late afternoon by the time Miroku finished his story. Both Kagome and Sango couldn't make up their minds as to whether the man was telling them the truth or pulling their legs. His tale seemed too bizarre to be true yet too real to be made up.

"Is it true, what you just said?" asked Sango finally.

"Of course, my lovely Sango," he replied, unconcerned about the shadow of doubt that still lingered on her face.

"Then … just how old are you?"_ He can't be more than 25, can he? Well, he did say that his aging would have slowed down but is something like that even possible?_

Calmly, he sipped his tea and took his time answering.

"Let's see, I should be 524 this year, if I'm not mistaken. But, I could be off by a couple of months. I suppose it happens, you know, having lived for such a long time."

"You're kidding me! No one can live for such a long time! And .. and you don't look a day over 25!" Sango burst out.

"Why, thank you for the compliment, my dear," he said, flashing the brown haired girl a roguish grin.

"Sango's right. You're not a youkai so there's no way you can still stay alive for so long," said Kagome, who had kept silent until now.

"My dear Kagome, please feel free to look into my soul. You'll know I'm not lying to you ladies."

The two girls looked at one another, silently debating whether or not they, or rather Kagome, should take him up on his offer. However, the need to discover the truth was simply too great to be ignored. Kagome closed her eyes and with her soul, sought out Miroku's.

Any questions or doubts that she had regarding the degree of truth behind the man's words were erased the minute she saw his soul.

The way to tell a person's age by looking at his or her soul is rather simple, actually. Think of it as counting the number of rings on a tree trunk to know how old the tree is. You only need to have the power to look into a person's soul and then, voila, you'll automatically get the person's age regardless of what they look like on the outside. The best thing about this is a soul never lies about its age.

Kagome only had to take only one look at the pattern that marked the age of Miroku's soul to know that he hadn't been lying. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find Sango looking at her expectantly while Miroku bestowed her with a rather smug smile.

"He told the truth, Sango," she said quietly.

The older girl could only gape at Miroku. _He's older than everyone in my family and Kagome's family, including her ancient grandfather, put together!_

With every intention of changing the topic of Miroku's age to something else, Kagome said, "So, what is it that you want with me? I do believe that you have yet to tell me."

"Why, Kagome, you're the reincarnation I'm looking for all these years. If it assures you, I did have my doubts initially but now I'm completely sure about it," he said, fixing his deep violet eyes on her.

"What do you mean?" asked Sango.

"Forgive me, Kagome, but I read your soul when you were asleep. Your soul pattern corresponded with that of the priestess I made a promise to. There is no doubt about it, you're her reincarnation."

Her wide sapphire eyes went wide.

"You mean that I am the reincarnation of the miko that you were talking about? I'm the one you have to return the Shikon no Tama to?"

"Precisely, my dear Kagome."

"Then why did you want to kill me?"

"I never did. It was all an act. Naraku wants you dead but I couldn't possibly let you die at his hands before discovering for myself whether or not you're the one I'm looking for. So I pretended to take on the responsibility of taking your life."

"What plans?" Kagome whispered.

Miroku's face turned grim as he explained the situation to Kagome.

"Naraku is aiming to awaken the jewel and use it to gain power so that he can rule the world. In short, he wants to be God. He would have acted upon it already were it not for you, Kagome."

"What do you mean?"

"Your saving Rin put a temporary halt to his plans."

"What does Rin have to do with all this?" asked Sango, curious.

"Kawamura Rin is the Chosen One."

oOo

It was already late evening and several early stars dotted the rapidly darkening sky. They had been talking for so long earlier that everyone had conveniently forgotten about meals. By the time their stomachs had protested, and loudly too at that, in unison, it was well past 6 o'clock. Miroku quickly made them something to eat and now Kagome was in the kitchen doing the dishes. She would have gladly lent a hand were it not for her best friend's insistence at doing the task alone.

Sango knew that doing the dishes alone was just an excuse for the girl to do some thinking. Kami knows that the poor girl must be feeling quite overwhelmed by everything now. One could hardly blame Kagome if the thought that things would turn out this way when she first rescued Rin had never occurred to her. _Is this what they call Fate?_

"May I join you?"

The voice jolted her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see the violet eyes of Miroku looking down at her. Nodding, she watched as Miroku settled down beside her on the cool stone steps.

_Isn't it a sin for him to look so good in the robes of a Buddhist monk? Eep! What am I thinking? _Hurriedly, she turned her face away so that he wouldn't see the rising blush that threatened to color her cheeks. She didn't know how good his night vision was but she wasn't taking any chances.

"May I ask what are you doing out here, my lovely Sango?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

It wasn't as if she hated it, far from that in fact. It gave her a warm feeling every time he said it. But shouldn't it be reserved for someone you know on a more intimate level? Or does he think that he's some suave Casanova who goes around spouting things like that to every single woman he meets?

"I think it suits you. Do you not like it?"

"I, er, shouldn't you be using it on your girlfriend or wife or … or something? I mean we're strangers, not someone close to one another."

"Ah. That can be easily remedied, my lovely Sango."

Immediately her whole body tensed up and her brown eyes widened to new proportions when she felt a hand gently fondling her bottom. _The nerve of him!_

"PERVERT!"

A loud smack echoed around the silent compound. In the little kitchen a short distance away from the main building, Kagome thought she heard something that sounded like a slap over the running tap but dismissed it as part of her overactive imagination. A slap couldn't be so loud, could it?

Miroku removed his hand from Sango's behind in favor of rubbing his red, hand imprinted cheek.

"I couldn't help it, my dear Sango. You looked so touchable," he said with a less than innocent expression on his face.

She shot him a look that spelled incredulous in bold, capital letters.

"Dear Kami! Aren't you supposed to be a monk?"

"Well, I was brought up as one but I've never made it official, hence the unshaved head," he said lightly.

Sango groaned and cast her eyes back at the now dark courtyard before her. It was just her luck to be kidnapped by a perverted monk who isn't really a monk._ Hmm … when he said that he was brought up to be one, does that mean he's an orphan?_

As if he had read her thoughts, Miroku said, "Mushin, the old monk who used to live in this temple, found me abandoned in the forest when I was still a baby and took me in. He became like a father to me, teaching me everything he knew which was like the A to Z of how to be a monk. But I guess I have never received the calling to become a true monk."

_That explains the groping,_ she thought.

"What made you decide to work for Naraku?"

"The Shikon no Tama. The only way to get a chance at taking it from him is to work for him. Besides, knowing that a holy man is working for him, a half-demon, makes him feel better about himself."

"Does he trust you?"

"Definitely not 100. I would peg it at about 60, give or take a little. Naraku never trusts anyone that much. That's why he sends out his spies to follow anyone who has been told to execute an order."

"Spies? You mean there are spies following in your every step?" she asked, brown eyes sweeping across her surroundings.

"Sort of. Don't worry, my lovely Sango, there aren't any here because Naraku doesn't know I'm here. Furthermore, I have placed a holy barrier around this place. No one, demon or human, will know that this temple is here. To them, it would seem like there is nothing here when in reality there is."

Sango let out a sigh. For a moment there, she was worried that everything Miroku had told them earlier on would reach Naraku's ears. After hearing about the notorious half-demon, she doubted that the hanyou would let a double-crosser like Miroku live to tell the tale. Somehow that thought had her feeling a little worried. _What if his secret was discovered one day?_

Miroku looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and a small smile tugged his lips upwards.

Leaning in closer to her, his voice took on a husky quality as he asked, "Are you worried that I would be discovered by Naraku, Sango?"

It took only one second for her face to flame up.

"O-Of course not!"

A soft, knowing chuckle from him had her stomping off to seek refuge in the kitchen where Kagome was. Her best friend needs help with the dishes.

oOo

* * *

A/N: Okay, did this chapter answer your questions about Miroku? Let me know. Also, do longer chapters equate more reviews? 


	19. Petal 19

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

A/N: Okay, first of all, this chapter is sort of dedicated to demon in disguise whose birthday was two days ago. This will remain as her birthday present until I find time to write her a proper gift fic. To all the other readers of this story, thank you for reading, reviewing, adding me to ur fav list, etc. Enjoy!

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

**Bold denote written words e.g. letters, notes, etc.**

oOo

Trembling ever so slightly, the young kitsune handed the small piece of yellow colored paper to the demon lord. Sesshoumaru glanced at the note before crushing it in his hand, his stare so intense that Shippou felt sure that sparks would be flying out of them any minute.

"Come," he said impassively.

Shippou scrambled over from where he stood on the sofa's armrest, nearly tripping over himself in his haste. He hardly dared disobey seeing as how he still wanted to see Kagome and his newfound friend, Rin, as well as do a whole lot of other things that would be impossible to do if he were to die at the hands of the tall inuyoukai.

A clawed hand grabbed his bushy tail and lifted him up effortlessly as soon as he came close enough. Before he knew what was happening, a bright flash of light enveloped him and he felt himself being propelled forward, as if an unseen force around him was pushing him ahead. It gave him an odd feeling, something like motion sickness, wobbly legs, a headache and a bloated stomach all rolled into one.

Just when Shippou thought he was getting used to the funny sensation, the light around him disappeared and he found himself dropped unceremoniously on the cold hard floor where he bounced a few times before coming to a stop. Above him hovered the cute, round face of Rin.

"Rin!" "Shippou-kun!"

"Hanyou, look after the children."

"WHAT?!"

Sesshoumaru gave his younger half-brother a look that pointedly said 'you-heard-me-and-you're-going-to-do-exactly-what I-said'.

Inuyasha with bared teeth and ears flattened against his head, growled out, "I'm not some damn babysitter, Sesshoumaru!"

"Watch your mouth, hanyou," the older demon warned. "This Sesshoumaru is going out."

Shippou who had heard it as well, approached the youkai lord timidly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you going to look for Kagome? Can … Can you bring her back?"

"Hn."

With that, Sesshoumaru once again morphed into a small ball of light and sped away into the horizon via the open window.

oOo

It didn't take him long to reach his intended destination. Finding a secluded spot near enough to where he was headed, he touched down and morphed back to his humanoid form. Golden eyes glanced down at the note in his hand for the umpteenth time.

**Shippou-chan,**

**I'm going out for a bit to meet someone at the Lakeside Garden. If you don't see me by the time you wake up, call Sesshoumaru at 012-3456789 okay? Tell him to let you stay at his place until I come and get you okay? Don't worry about me.**

**Love,**

**Kagome.**

**2.47 am**

Long fingers curled around the note and crumpled it. The fox kit had handed him the piece of pale yellow paper when he had turned up in the miko's apartment earlier on. Only the wish to spare innocent ears had him refraining from cursing the miko's stupidity out loud. A little part of him was somehow glad that she had told the kit to call him and not someone else.

Sesshoumaru looked around before stepping out from behind an old oak tree and walked towards the park entrance. The miko had simply written 'the Lakeside Garden' and not the exact place in the park that she was supposed to meet the man. _Stupid miko, does she know just how large this park is?_

The note had been written approximately six hours ago. Even if he were to go through the entire park now, there was no guarantee that he would be able to find any leads. Her scent as well as that of the one she was supposed to meet would have either dissipated or mingled to an unrecognizable state with others who visit the popular recreation spot.

Still, it was worth a shot. There was the possibility that he would be able to pick out the miko's unique lavender scent, not that he had had her scent memorized or anything like that.

Sesshoumaru entered the park with his sense of smell on high alert for the miko's scent, all the while telling himself that it was only for Rin's sake as well as his promise to the kitsune cub that he was searching for Kagome and nothing else. He was NOT worried about the miko, he did NOT care for the miko and he most certainly had NOT committed the miko's unique scent to memory.

oOo

A good two hours later, Sesshoumaru ended back up where he first started with hardly a lead in his hands, or in this case, his nose. It was hardly surprising given the amount of people who were currently in the park. He was prepared to give up trying to locate the miko's scent but a nagging voice in the back of his mind kept urging him to give it another try.

Sighing, he walked into the park once more.

He was half tempted to transform into his youkai form and track down her scent with his nose pressed to the ground. If it weren't for the fact that he was roughly the height of a four-storey flat and many times the size of the park in his inuyoukai form, he would have already done so. He doubted that anyone would be pleased to see a 40-foot tall demonic dog thrashing up the park with just its muzzle.

Another sigh escaped him as he walked towards the fountain. A pair of young lovers walked past him, whispering softly to one another, oblivious to the world. Sesshoumaru watched them out of the corner of his eye until they disappeared behind his back and he couldn't see them anymore.

Fortunately for him, that left only him and the noisy fountain there. He could sense no other presence and it was a good thing because he didn't need any witnesses to what he was about to do. Discreetly, he pressed a knee on the ground and brought his face as close to the ground as he could without appearing like some ground sniffing madman.

He could pick out the scents of the couple who just passed him by but underneath there was a slight hint of something that smelled suspiciously like lavender. _Like the priestess._ Golden eyes narrowed slightly. He must have missed it earlier on because it was so faint. _So she met the person here. _

Moving slowly, he managed to pick up more of the miko's gradually fading scent. There was no doubt about it. The fountain must have been the designated meeting place. Now, if only he could pick out the one she was supposed to meet …

Another familiar scent reached his nose. _Sandalwood and bamboos. _Like Kagome's scent, it was fast fading so Sesshoumaru supposed that whoever the scent belonged to was here at about the same time as the miko.

_Sandalwood and bamboos. _Fine eyebrows knit themselves together. He only knew of one person who carried the smell of sandalwood and bamboos with him – Fujisawa Miroku, the junior partner of the Kawamura and Fujisawa accounting firm.

Sesshoumaru drew himself up to his full height and walked over to the little gazebo beside the fountain. The scent of sandalwood and bamboos was slightly stronger here but there was no trace of Kagome's sweet lavender fragrance. The Taiyoukai paced the small gazebo, his sensitive nose picking up the various scents there. Another near the top beam of the gazebo stood out among the rest.

A frown crossed his face. Why would his partner be here at some ungodly hour of the day when he should be sleeping at home? More importantly, why was the scent of Naraku's Saimyoushou here as well? He couldn't have been mistaken about the scents now could he? _This Sesshoumaru is never mistaken!_

He reached a clawed hand into his trouser pocket and pulled out his mobile phone, fingers rapidly dialing the number to his office.

"Kawamura and Fujisawa, good morning. This is Daisuke Ann speaking. How may I help you?"

"Ann, get this Sesshoumaru Fujisawa now," he all but ordered.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama! I'm very sorry but Fujisawa-san has called in sick this morning. He said that he has come down with a bad case of influenza."

"Hn," he said as he ended the call.

_So Fujisawa has taken a sick leave, has he?_ Sesshoumaru's instincts were telling him that there was something fishy going on and his partner as well as Naraku was involved. Throw in a miko into the mix and that something fishy just got fishier.

Was Fujisawa truly the one Kagome was meeting? Why were Naraku's bees present as well? What was the relationship between Fujisawa and Naraku? How did Kagome fit into all this? It puzzled him greatly and he didn't like it one bit.

oOo

Inuyasha sat on his haunches, carefully watching the kitsune cub who was doodling listlessly on a piece of paper with his niece, Rin. The redheaded cub's glum mood was a stark contrast to the jolly mood Rin was in. The little girl was trying to make her friend smile but was unsuccessful so far.

_What's wrong with him? Come to think of it, he looks rather familiar. Where have I seen him before?_

"Oi, kit. What's your name?"

Shippou cast an emerald eye at him before returning to his coloring.

"Takani Shippou."

Takani. The name shot through Inuyasha like a bolt of lightning. Bloody images of the dead fox general flashed through his mind. He could see them all – the glassy half open eye, the ragged abdominal wound that was the cause of the youkai's death, everything. They were so vivid he almost thought that he was back in Takani's apartment. Even the air around him seemed to stink of blood.

Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present and looked at the youkai cub once more. _Red hair, emerald eyes …Takani …_

Faster than lightning, he removed his leather wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a slightly creased photograph. There was no mistaking the bright emerald eyes that stared back at him. Hopping off the couch lightly, Inuyasha approached the kitsune cub and crouched down beside him.

"Kit, here, I think this is yours," he said as gently as he could while thrusting the picture at a wary looking Shippou.

Small paws reached out and snatched the picture from Inuyasha's hands while Rin looked on curiously.

"How did you get this?" Shippou demanded.

"I found it in your house. I'm sorry about your father, kit."

Wide emerald eyes filled with tears. The picture had been taken in Tokyo Disneyland a few years ago when his father brought him there to celebrate his birthday. They were very happy back then, even if there were only the two of them. But now … he was the only one left.

A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Papa … I don't have Papa anymore," sobbed Shippou.

"Don't cry, Shippou-kun," said Rin, patting him gently on the back. "We can share Rin's daddy."

Inuyasha blinked in surprise at what his niece had just said. It was really kind of Rin to say something like that but he didn't think that his elder half-brother would like it very much if he knew that he was being shared among the children like some stuffed toy.

Shippou wiped away his tears with the back of his small hands and sniffled before giving Rin a small smile.

"We can share Kagome too, Rin."

oOo

A small, white-haired figure hovered in mid-air in front of a mountain cave, not even bothering to mask his presence. If anything, he made sure to stand in such a way that the wind would carry his scent right into the cave.

Before long, a tall man with short, dirty blonde hair strode out from the shadows, flanked by two others with light brown hair. Sharp black eyes scrutinized the small, child-like humanoid demon in front of him and narrowed in disgust when he detected the telltale scent of Naraku on him. _This must be another of his offspring._

"Youkai, you are trespassing. Leave now and I shall spare your life."

"Maeda Kenji, right?"

"Insolent brat!" the one to his right growled. "How dare you address our leader in such a way?"

Hakudoshi ignored the youkai and looked directly into the eyes of the leader of the leopard clan, not even a minute trace of fear in his lavender eyes.

"Naraku wants you to join us," he stated simply. No frills, no fancy words, nothing. That wasn't his style. He hated beating around the bush more than anything.

"Never!" Maeda growled. "My loyalty lies with Sesshoumaru-sama, the Taiyoukai of the West. I would rather die than work for the hanyou filth!"

"Oh?" Hakudoshi said, with a raised eyebrow. "Well then, so be it."

Before Maeda could blink, Hakudoshi shot directly at him, his sword aimed at the leopard demon's head. However, the leopard was quick to evade it by leaping into the air.

"Shin! Nobu! Take the clan away to a safe place!" he commanded before taking on his demonic form. They dashed away with a curt nod, trusting their leader to defeat the small demon easily.

"Hmm … interesting," commented Hakudoshi in such a voice that it seemed as if he was discussing the weather or what he had for breakfast today.

"But just so that you know, I'll kill every last one of them after I kill you."

Maeda let out a loud, ferocious snarl and lunged forward, his sharp claws intent on ripping the offspring of Naraku into tiny bits. Unfortunately for him, the smaller demon parried it easily with his sword.

The fight between Hakudoshi and Maeda, the leopard youkai, lasted all of fifteen minutes. In that short amount of time, the leopard suffered greatly at the hands, or rather the sword, of Hakudoshi, with more than one bone-deep slash on his body to prove it. Despite being the strongest out of the three general-ranked demons in the Western Army, Maeda could not even manage to land a claw on Hakudoshi, no thanks to the strong barrier that surrounded him.

The noble leopard demon fell from the sky with an anguished roar when a sharp blow from Hakudoshi's sword separated his head from his body. Blood rained down on the forest below.

Pale lavender eyes watched disinterestedly as Maeda's body disappeared through the green canopy underneath with a dull crash. Now, he has to keep true to his word and hunt down every last one of Maeda's clan.

"What a bother," he said as he entered the dark mountain cave.

oOo

Idly, Naraku swirled the dark red liquid in his glass as he watched cars of every shape, size and color zip through the streets below. A silver airliner streaked across the bright blue sky. Soon, everything will change, everything will be different. Just thinking of it brought a smile to his face.

A step alerted him to the presence to the entry of one of his offspring.

"What is it, Hakudoshi?"

"He refused."

Naraku nodded knowingly. He knew that the leopard demon would not agree to join him even before he gave Hakudoshi his orders.

"I take it that he has been taken care of?"

"Yes, as well as his entire clan."

The hanyou raised an eyebrow as he looked at Hakudoshi out of the corner of his eye. Wiping out the whole clan was not part of the plan, but he supposed that it was a good thing too to exterminate the leopard demons. Now he wouldn't have to worry about anyone of them harboring thoughts of revenge, not that they would succeed anyway.

An evil smile formed on his lips.

"Good. You may leave."

The humanoid demon turned to leave the room but was stopped by Naraku's voice.

"Oh, and Hakudoshi, make sure that you spread the news."

A smirk appeared on the younger demon's face.

"With pleasure."

Naraku smiled upon hearing the tone of voice his offspring had employed. In a way, Maeda deserved to die. If he had not chosen to oppose him, he would have been able to keep his pathetic little life. Unfortunately, he, like the fool that he was, chose instead to pledge his allegiance to the Taiyoukai of the West even when death was staring at him right in the face.

Fools, they were all fools, every last one of them. By getting rid of Maeda as well as the kitsune, Takani, he had done the world a favor. The world was now two foolish demons less. If everything goes according to his plans, another demon would join Maeda and Takani in hell soon enough.

_Sesshoumaru, _he thought with a sneer, w_hat are you going to do? The demons on your side are getting lesser and lesser. You have failed to protect them. It won't be long before the remaining ones switch sides and come to me._

A low chuckle filled the room. Already, some of his youkai underlings are on their way to stir up some serious trouble in the human community. This will definitely create a rift between the ningens and the youkais. Distrust, hatred and animosity towards the other will breed in both races. It won't be long before the entire land is embroiled in hostilities and unrest.

The country's population will be divided into the demons and the humans and the government would hardly be able to do anything about it. That will be the time that he, Onigumo Naraku, step in and take over the country, by force if need be.

And how does the Western Lord fit into all this? It was simple really. The inuyoukai, while not joining forces with the humans, will definitely oppose him when he comes into power. He will, of course, use the opportunity to eradicate Sesshoumaru, who has always been a thorn in his side, from this world. With Sesshoumaru dead, no one will be able to stop him from taking over the world.

To do so, he will first need to revive the Shikon no Tama. With the power of the jewel, he will be much stronger than Sesshoumaru. He will be invincible.

He will rule the world.

oOo

"Okay, here goes," she said to herself as she took in a deep breath, "Hi, Sesshoumaru! You see I'm calling because of Shippou. You have him so now I want him back."

_No!_ Kagome thought as she shook her head. _That sounded so wrong, like I was some divorcee who desperately wants her kid back. Let's try again._

"Hello, Sesshoumaru. How are you? Listen; is Shippou at your place? Yeah? No, I mean, yeah, of course he is! Oh crap," she muttered. _This is not working._

Gripping her mobile phone tightly, she began pacing her room for the hundredth time as she tried to work out something, anything to say to a certain demon lord.

Sighing, she glanced at the name 'Sesshoumaru' in her phone. How do you tell a demon lord that you had him babysitting your … just what exactly was the relationship between her and Shippou? Well, that aside, how was she supposed to tell Sesshoumaru that she went to save her kidnapped friend and got kidnapped herself but ended up not really being kidnapped?

Groaning softly, she plopped onto her bed. That sounded weird even to her own ears. Whatever it was, she suspected that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be too happy about it seeing as how he had specifically warned her that her life was in danger. A tiny voice at the back of her mind reminded her that she should have thought of it before plunging headlong into things the night before.

Flipping herself onto her stomach, she let out a long, frustrated scream into her pillow. Maybe she should call Sesshoumaru in the morning? _No, Shippou would worry himself to death. Arrrgh, let's just try again._

"Sesshoumaru, hi. Look, I'm sure you must be wondering what happened to me. Well, don't worry, nothing happened and I'm fine. Erm … so, right, do you think it's okay if I come over and get Shippou now? Sorry for bothering you. Well, I'll see you later."

_That'll do, I guess, although I doubt he'll believe it. Knowing him, he'll probably grill me with a million questions. Oh well, here goes nothing,_ she thought as she readied herself mentally before calling Sesshoumaru.

The petite girl very nearly leaped out of her skin when her phone chose to ring at the exact moment she was about to press the 'Call' button. A very familiar name flashed on the tiny screen. Gulping visibly, she answered.

"Hi, Kagome speaking."

"Miko, where are you?" the caller all but demanded.

Her carefully rehearsed words decided to flee her mind at that particular moment, leaving nothing but a blank slate behind. The Taiyoukai sounded angry for some reason and she supposed that the reason was her.

"Sesshoumaru! I … er … well … "

"Kagome, where are you?"

"I'm … I'm at home, don't worry about me. Is Shippou with you?"

"Hn. Do not lie to this Sesshoumaru. Where are you?" he said gruffly.

"I told you, I'm at home. I-"

"This Sesshoumaru will be there shortly."

"What? Sess-"

Only the tone of a dead line remained on the other end.

_Crap! Kami-sama, don't tell him he's really going to come over. I mean, it's already past 11p.m. and I haven't had a shower yet! Wait, I shouldn't be worrying about my shower now. I should -_

The sharp buzzing of the doorbell jolted her out of her thoughts and stopped her frantic pacing before she could wear a hole into the floor._ He's here! Kami-sama, help me!_ Another piercing buzz had her practically running to the door. It would be difficult trying to explain to her landlady just how exactly the sturdy wooden door ended up in splinters.

"Sesshoumaru, er, hi!"

The tall inuyoukai gave the young woman before him a thorough but quick once over. She was dressed casually in a t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts with her dark hair falling down her back in rather messy waves. His sharp amber eyes did not see any physical wounds or any telltale bruises that hinted at internal injuries on her and he found himself feeling more than relieved.

"Hn," was his only reply before he invited himself in.

Golden eyes swept across every corner of the room the minute he stepped over the threshold of her apartment. Nothing seemed out of place except for the fidgeting miko beside him.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he wondered what could be making her so nervous. His presence? However, the miko had never been nervous around him even during their first encounter with each other. Could she be hiding something from him?

"Miko –"

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"

"Tea would be fine."

"Right, so tea it is. I'll be back in a jiffy," she said with a sunny, obviously forced, smile as she brushed past him to scamper into the tiny space she called a kitchen.

Sesshoumaru looked at her retreating back with only one thought in his mind, _definitely hiding something._ He would not leave her apartment until he had what he wanted.

Like a specter, the inuyoukai glided noiselessly after the young woman, unaware that his current actions mimicked closely that of a predator stalking its prey. She stood with her back to him, two empty mugs in front of her as she plunked a teabag into each mug. He stepped closer.

Kagome was under the blissful impression that a certain silver-haired Taiyoukai was sitting on the sofa in the living room until a hand appeared on the countertop on either side of her.

She took a step backwards but stopped when she bumped into something hard. Warm breath ghosted down the back of her neck and a shiver ran down her spine in response. When she felt what she supposed was the tip of his nose brush her ear, she whirled around so fast she knocked her head against his. Hard.

"Oww," she said, rubbing her forehead gently.

Sesshoumaru stepped back from her with a scowl on his handsome face. _Stupid miko! What was she thinking turning around like that all of a sudden?_

Noticing that the less than pleased look was directed at her, Kagome glared at him, anger rising fast.

"Don't look at me like that, Sesshoumaru! It's your fault and you know it. You don't just come up behind someone and do … well, do whatever you were doing just now," she scolded. _Just what exactly was he doing anyway?_

"This Sesshoumaru detected a scent that isn't your own on you, miko and was merely seeking confirmation," he said, annoyance evident in his voice.

Her eyes widened as she asked incredulously, "You were sniffing me?"

"Who were you meeting at the park yesterday, miko?" he asked, ignoring her question by posing one of his own.

"I-I, well, just a guy. He just wanted to ask me a few questions, nothing else."

"The truth, miko!"

His voice seemed to boom in her ears and suddenly, she felt somewhat afraid of the impassive looking demon lord in front of her.

"No one important," she squeaked.

Golden eyes narrowed. Did the miko think that he was stupid?

"You met a man named Fujisawa Miroku at the park," he stated to her utmost surprise.

"How did you know?"

"His scent was beside the fountain as well as on you. Did you think that this Sesshoumaru would miss something like that, miko?"

_So that's how he knew. Huh, and here I thought he was some kind of mind-reader or something. Wait, how did he know that it was Miroku whom I met? Does he know Miroku?_

"What exactly were you doing in the park with this Sesshoumaru's partner?"

"P-Partner?"

Her mind took the chance to helpfully supply her with images of the place where she first met Sesshoumaru. It was an office, but more precisely, it was the office of Kawamura and Fujisawa. Then it dawned on her. _Kawamura and Fujisawa. Kawamura Sesshoumaru. Fujisawa Miroku. Oh crap!_

"Well, he … he wanted to ask me a few things. That's all," she said, blue eyes looking everywhere else except at him.

"A questioning session that had you missing for close to a day?" he questioned.

Pressing on, he asked, "What questions would an accountant have for a university student in the wee hours of the morning?"

"Who do you think you are, Sesshoumaru, asking me all those questions? As far as I know, what I do does not concern you!" Kagome snapped, sapphire eyes flashing angrily. _Really, who does he think he is? My mother?_

"It concerns this Sesshoumaru when you so foolishly ran out in the middle of the night to meet with someone who is related in some unknown way to a dangerous hanyou even after this Sesshoumaru has warned you about the danger that you are in," he growled, exasperation evident in his normally calm voice.

Were he a lesser mortal, he would have gladly punched a hole in the wall behind him but seeing as he was a Taiyoukai and had a reputation to uphold, he reined in his anger. _Could she not see that this Sesshoumaru is trying to protect her?_

Kagome could only blink when his words registered themselves in her mind.

_Does that mean that he cares for me? No! This is Sesshoumaru. Why would he care for me? It's not as if I'm his family or anything. Wait, did he just say 'dangerous hanyou'? Could it be that Naraku guy that Miroku was talking about?_

"Naraku?"

The soft whisper of the hanyou's name that she unknowingly uttered caused the inuyoukai to glance sharply at her.

"How did you know that name?"

"Eh, hehe, what name? I didn't say anything," she said, giggling nervously.

_Damn! Me and my big mouth! Now how am I supposed to answer that question without dragging in Miroku? That pervert of a monk did warn me that Naraku's spies could be anywhere and specifically told me not to mention anything at all about his history. Great, just great._

Sesshoumaru watched the way the different emotions flicker across her face and also the way her eyes were darting around him, as if she was checking for the presence of eavesdroppers. There was no doubt about it; the ebony haired miko was hiding something from him. Taking a step forward, he looked down at the young woman, intimidating her with his proximity and his height.

"This Sesshoumaru knows that you are lying, miko," he said evenly, looking directly into her eyes.

Kagome would have taken a step backwards were it not for the fact that her back was pressed against the counter. Sesshoumaru had her trapped here and she couldn't even look anywhere else except at his glowing amber eyes. She suddenly felt very, very small.

Swallowing a gulp, she hung her head and whispered softly, trusting the dog demon's hearing to pick up her barely audible words, "I … can't tell you, Sesshoumaru. I'm sorry."

Her hesitation was as clear as day. _Something, or perhaps someone, is preventing her from telling this Sesshoumaru the truth. Why? Does she not trust this Sesshoumaru?_ A part of him felt a twinge of hurt at that thought but he decided to let it drop for now. He didn't even want to ponder over why he would be feeling hurt over something as trivial as that.

If she didn't want to tell him, he'll just have to get that information from another source. Right now, he had something else to do, like make sure that the miko did not put herself in any danger anymore.

Sighing, he asked, "Miko, do you know just how much danger you could be in?"

"I can protect myself well enough, Sesshoumaru," she said. _Well, not really, seeing as how Miroku did manage to put a sleeping spell on me, but he doesn't have to know that._

"Stay with this Sesshoumaru, Kagome," he said softly.

"Wh-What?" she choked out. Her heart began beating faster of its own accord and a faint blush crept across her cheeks.

_Did he just say what I think he said? But … but that's just so … He called me Kagome. No. He can't possibly mean it that way, can he? No! This is Sesshoumaru! He-_

"Rin needs a babysitter."

oOo

* * *

A/N: Liked this chapter? Disliked this chapter? I had writer's block towards the end so I'm guessing it didn't turn out very nicely. 


	20. Petal 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

A/N: First of all, many apologies for updating so late. How long has it been since my last update? Three weeks? Four? I'm so so sorry. Working on assignments and projects took up most of my time. Thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter.

Secondly, sorry that this chapter is so much shorter than the previous ones. I'm actually supposed to be studying for my finals and not writing fanfiction. Lastly, I have to inform all of you that there will be no updates until after the 18th of November, which is the last day of my finals. I need to make sure that my grades don't slip any lower than they are now. Gomen nasai ::bows::

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

"Rin needs a babysitter."

Those few words had each and every one of her thoughts coming to a skidding stop. She was sure that her brain had decided to call it quits. Thus, all she managed to get past her lips was a highly intelligent, "Huh?"

"You heard this Sesshoumaru, miko."

Kagome opened and closed her mouth for a few times but nothing came out. _That was … unexpected. Well, it's not as if I was expecting anything,_ she hurriedly corrected her own thoughts.

Sesshoumaru, who was of the opinion that perhaps the human wasn't as bright as she appeared to be, condescended to repeat his words.

"This Sesshoumaru wants you to be Rin's babysitter."

"I heard you. But why this all of a sudden? Doesn't she already have one? That … that kappa – what's his name again? – isn't he Rin's babysitter?"

"Jaken is no longer suitable for the job," he answered. Golden eyes watched the woman before him carefully before adding, "He needs to recuperate after his ordeal with the demons."

"Oh, I see. Sorry Sesshoumaru, but I can't help you out. I already have a job."

"Resign from it, miko," the inuyoukai replied. It was not a question; it was a demand, an order.

Sapphire eyes flashed briefly as she glared at the impassive demon standing before her. _Did he just say what I think he said? That arrogant dog! Who does he think he is ordering me about? Like hell I'll agree with him!_

"No."

His eyes narrowed at the miko. _Damn miko, is she trying to infuriate this Sesshoumaru?_

"Miko, do not think to try this Sesshoumaru's patience. You will resign."

His voice was low and dangerous, but that only served to fuel Kagome's anger.

"For your information, this Kagome just said no. Go find someone else," she said before pushing past him and storming back to the living room.

He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him before she could drop into the couch.

"Miko," he growled, "you will do as this Sesshoumaru says."

That was the last straw. The rapidly thinning hold she had on her anger snapped.

"Look here, Sesshoumaru. The last time I checked, you do not rule my life. You cannot tell me what to do," she snapped, poking her index finger at his chest for emphasis.

His hand tightened its grip on her shoulder. A bit more force, his claws would pierce through her t-shirt and her skin to draw blood.

Golden eyes glared down directly into defiant sapphire ones. Both were equally stubborn, with neither willing to be the first to back down.

Wisps of crimson began seeping into the golden eyes of the Taiyoukai, but still the miko did not back down. If anything, she increased the intensity of her glare. His youki flared in response to her challenge.

Whether it was due to the demon lord's overpowering youki enveloping her or something else, Kagome had no idea. All she knew was that one minute, Sesshoumaru was standing before her with his hand still gripping her shoulder tightly and the next he was more than an arm's length away. A large burn mark had appeared on the front of his powder blue shirt faster than she could say déjà vu.

Shock and confusion was written all over her face. She had always had a good control over her powers; never before had it surged out in such a manner.

Kagome debated between going to him and staying put. But she quickly made up her mind when he snarled and bared his fangs at her. Unconsciously she trembled. No way was she going to risk her neck by approaching the furious demon.

Sesshoumaru watched as her holy aura continued to flare around her. The possibility of his getting another burn is very high if he were to close the distance between them now. Red replaced gold in his eyes as his canines lengthened.

Blood red eyes stared into the deep blue ones of the miko.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that it would not do to take the miko's life at the moment. It was neither the time nor place for her to die.

Sesshoumaru stormed out of the small apartment without as much as a word or a backward glance at the wide-eyed young woman. The door was slammed with such force that it was still quivering on its hinges long after he was gone.

The minute the last of Sesshoumaru's silver hair disappeared out the door, Kagome's knees gave way and she fell on the cold floor. Her chest was heaving and her heart felt like it was beating at a hundred miles an hour.

_So this is what it feels like to be on the brink of death._

oOo

Inuyasha threw his head back and laughed uproariously, much to the annoyance of his elder half-brother. Golden eyes narrowed to dangerous slits but still the half demon before him continued to laugh.

It was bad enough that a human woman half his size had inflicted an injury on him just a few moments ago, he didn't need an imbecilic half-breed to add salt to his wounds by laughing at him. And speaking of wounds, the area in his chest where the confounded miko had shot at with her powers was beginning to itch terribly. He should take a look at it soon.

"Hanyou, you will cease this racket immediately."

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," said Inuyasha, chuckling away as he wiped away the tears in his eyes using the back of his hand.

"Still, you can't deny that it was funny. Imagine, the great Taiyoukai Sesshoumaru being wounded by a feeble human miko, simply hilarious."

Sesshoumaru let out a low growl that promptly killed the last of Inuyasha's mirth.

"Okay, okay, sorry, geez," he said as he held his hands up in a placating manner. "What are you going to do about it? The girl's not going to come here, you can't protect her and Rin at the same time, so now what?"

"This Sesshoumaru wants you to protect Rin."

"WHAT?" he shouted incredulously, eyes as wide as saucers.

"You heard this Sesshoumaru, hanyou."

"B-but, you, I-"

"You will do it, Inuyasha."

"I'm not going to babysit for you, Sesshoumaru! That is Jaken's job!"

"The protection that he offers is insufficient. Naraku is after Rin, there will definitely be more demonic attacks targeting her in the future."

Inuyasha slumped against his seat. Sesshoumaru had a point there and he would be damned if he were to let even a hair on his beloved niece's head be harmed by that vile hanyou.

"Keh, whatever," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "Why can't you protect her yourself Sesshoumaru?"

"This Sesshoumaru has other things to do and cannot be with Rin all the time." _Like come up with a different approach to get the miko under this Sesshoumaru's protection._

Inuyasha nodded noncommittally as he stood up and looked out the window.

Giving such a vague answer was a very Sesshoumaru-like thing to do. He never said more than necessary and would never reveal every minute detail of his plans to any one single person. It was very frustrating for Inuyasha at times to try and figure out just what exactly his brother was trying to do but he never complained for it was the best defense against spies.

"You know what, Sesshoumaru, I've always known you to have a way with the ladies. So tell me again, what kind of move did you use on her for you to get burnt so badly?" asked Inuyasha, turning to face his elder sibling with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Not waiting for an answer, Inuyasha let out another laugh and leaped out of the room the minute sharp claws dug into the leather armrest.

oOo

The warm morning breeze lifted her hair as she walked down the street back towards the bus station. Everything still seemed so normal even after what had happened. Lifting the plastic cup containing coffee in her hand, she took a long sip.

_Here I am walking to bus station to catch the 10 o'clock bus after getting my usual cup of coffee from the little shop around the corner when just two days ago, so many things had happened._

She had gotten kidnapped, nearly gotten rescued by her best friend, got discovered before they could escape and lastly gotten released by the kidnapper himself. Sango didn't know why he let them go last night and honestly, she didn't really want to know.

If he said she's free to go then why would she continue hanging around?

Still, she couldn't help but wonder. She had so many questions for him but had no chance to ask them. Why did he let Kagome go too when the one he was after in the first place was her? Why did he even let them go at all? For all he knows, they could be spies for that Naraku guy he was talking about. That guy must not have thought about that seeing as how he had his raccoon friend provide them with disguises before bringing them home personally in his sleek black car.

Sighing, she took another drink from the medium sized Styrofoam cup. She supposed that he knows what he's doing, having lived for so long and all that. The brown eyed girl still found it hard to believe that he's hundreds of years old and yet appears her age. She had always had this thing for older men and him looking as good as –

Sango hurriedly clapped a free hand over her mouth and glanced around. _I did not just think that!_ A little boy eating an ice-cream nearby gave her an odd look to which she returned with a nervous smile before hurrying away.

Unfortunately for her she didn't get to hurry any further the minute she walked right into someone. And spilled what remained of her still steaming black coffee all over the front of his shirt. His pale lilac shirt.

_Dear Kami-sama …_

"Well, what a pleasant surprise, my lovely Sango."

oOo

The hot afternoon sun beat down on her and she was glad that she was fast approaching her destination. Walking under the burning sun with a heavy backpack after a long day of classes was not her idea of fun. She longed for nothing more than to go home and plop down on the bed. But she needed money and to get the money, she had to work. End of story.

The minute she pushed open the glass doors, a very loud and very cheerful call of "Welcome!" by two very unfamiliar voices greeted her.

She grew even more perplexed when two punk-like young men – no, demons, wolf demons – materialized before her.

"How may we help you, miss?" they said with identical grins on their faces.

Kagome could only blink her wide sapphire eyes at them. She had never seen them before and more importantly, why are they acting as if they work here?

Tentatively, she said, "Er, hi, I, er, work here?"

The two demons looked at each other with puzzled expressions before looking back at her. Kaede chose that moment to reappear from the storeroom where she had been looking over her supplies.

"Kagome-chan!"

"Ah, Kaede!" she said, smiling and making her way towards the old woman.

But she was stopped short by her following utterance.

"Kagome, what are you doing here walking around on your own? And without an umbrella for shade! Didn't you have a very nasty case of morning sickness? Are you sure you're feeling alright to be here at all? You should go home now," Kaede admonished.

_What the hell? Morning sickness?_

"Wait, Kaede, what are you talking about? What morning sickness? I feel fine and I'm here to work."

Now it was Kaede's turn to look puzzled.

"Work? But you already resigned, Kagome."

"I have what? No, no," said Kagome, shaking her head, "I did no such thing. There must be a mistake somewhere."

_Just what exactly is going on here?_

"Your fiancé kindly came to inform me this morning that you would be unfit for work now that you're with child. Well, I understand, with all that morning sickness, it would be impossible for you to even get up sometimes. It happened to one of my friends, you know. She had to literally stay in bed –"

Kagome's mind finally registered what Kaede was talking about.

"With child? Fiancé? What fiancé? I'm not pregnant and I don't have a fiancé!" she burst out.

The old woman looked at her and asked, "You don't? Isn't Sesshoumaru-sama your fiancé and the child that you're bearing his? Speaking of him, he's such a nice man, Kagome. He saved me the trouble of looking for a new assistant by providing two workers as an apology for your immediate resignation."

The look on Kagome's face was one of absolute fury. Her holy aura crackled around her, causing the two wolf demons to cower against the wall for fear of being purified.

"Sesshoumaru," she growled out between clenched teeth, "I'm so going to kill you!"

oOo

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A/N: Reviews, as usual, are very welcomed. Keep an eye out for me after the 18th of November. :) 


	21. Petal 21

A/N: I survived finals (now all I have to do is wait for the results ::groans::). Anyway, I'm terribly sorry. I know I promised to have this chapter out on the 18th but I guess I was so happy that finals were finally over that I took a bit too long a time off to enjoy myself. Please accept this bug's humble apologies. Now that the holidays are here, I'll try to update more frequently. My plan is to have this story finished before my next semester starts in January.

A huge hug and thank you to all of you who reviewed and/or added me to your fav/alert list. Here's chapter 21, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way.

_Italics denote thoughts.

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_

oOo

Angrily she jabbed at the number '15' on the panel, causing the two other people in the elevator to inch visibly away from her. Her long unbound hair fell wildly down her back, courtesy of her very brisk walk from the bus station to the building. Coupled with her fierce expression and flashing blue eyes, she made a very scary picture despite her small frame.

The two young men, interns, by the looks of it, got off at the next floor even though it wasn't their designated floor, scrambling out so fast that they nearly tripped over themselves in their hurry.

The petite girl could hardly care less. Her sole intention now is to reach the dog on the fifteenth floor and giving him a piece of her mind.

_Pregnant? His fiancé? How dare he say something like that? Like anyone would want to get married to him or worse still, carry his child. When I get my hands on him, I will give him a burn so bad he'll be whimpering for the rest of his miserable youkai days. Then I am going to kick him where it hurts! Stupid, insufferable demon._

The doors slid open and Kagome marched up to where his office is.

This time around, there was someone sitting at the receptionist's desk.

The middle-aged woman behind the desk gave Kagome an assessing look, taking in the backpack that was slung over her left shoulder and the t-shirt and jeans she was wearing.

"We don't hire interns," she said before Kagome could open her mouth.

"I'm not here to look for a job. I'm here to see Sesshoumaru."

The receptionist raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Kagome.

"Right. Well, I'm afraid Kawamura-sama is in a very important meeting right now," she said in a haughty tone.

Kagome was hardly deterred. The woman was just a receptionist after all and no receptionist was going to stop her from seeing a certain demon lord.

"Is that so? Then would you please tell Sesshoumaru that his fiancée, his pregnant fiancée, is here to see him. I'm sure he'll let me wait in his office," said Kagome as sweetly as she could.

The receptionist's eyes widened incredulously.

oOo

Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair, idly twirling a pen in his hand. He had no more meetings scheduled after the one he had this morning so he was pretty much free the rest of the day, which was a good thing because he had some other things to look into. _Such as interrogating a certain junior partner._

However, said junior partner was at a late lunch meeting across town with another prospective client and wasn't back in the office yet. So it looks like he'll have to push that particular plan to later.

_Speaking of plans …_

The image of the ebony haired miko named Kagome entered his mind. A small smirk graced his lips. Plans concerning her were also going smoothly. She is a student in need of money to pay bills and the like and she had just lost her job at the florist's. If she is as smart as he thinks she is, she will gratefully accept his offer to become his daughter's live-in babysitter.

It was a win-win situation, really. He is able to protect the miko, his daughter will be in safe hands and the miko gets paid not to mention free food and lodging. Where else on earth can you get something as good as this?

A sharp ring jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Kawamura-sama, your, er, fiancée, is here to see you."

_This Sesshoumaru's fiancée? This Sesshoumaru doesn't –_

_Oh._

"Send her in."

The door flew open and in strode Kagome, fury written all over her fair face, sapphire eyes flashing with anger.

"You lying, sneaky, underhanded, unscrupulous mongrel!"

"I'm so sorry, Kawamura-sama! I-I tried to stop her," said the receptionist.

"Leave us."

Sesshoumaru turned to a rather red-faced Kagome the minute the door closed.

"You were saying?"

"You! You are an insufferable jerk! How could you tell Kaede that I'm pregnant with your child and that I'm your fiancée?"

The demon lord raised an eyebrow and looked at the petite miko before him with something akin to amusement on his face.

"Why ever not? It wasn't all that difficult."

The stoic inuyoukai said it in such a nonchalant tone that the only thing missing was a shrug of his shoulders. Kagome, on the other hand, felt her already boiling anger raise a few more notches at his tone.

"You are a dead dog, Sesshoumaru," she growled.

"You made me lose whatever image I had and my job! My job! Do you know how important that is to me? I have bills to pay. And food! I need to eat! With the summer holidays coming, all the jobs available have been snatched up. How do you think I'm going to survive without a job, huh?"

Sesshoumaru was unfazed by her.

Coolly, he said, "You've lost your job? I just so happen to need a babysitter for Rin. Interested?"

Kagome couldn't believe what she just heard. Sesshoumaru was talking as if nothing had happened or, more correctly, talking as if he had no part in her losing of her job at Kaede's.

"Why, you … you … filthy mongrel," she spat.

"This Sesshoumaru believes that you shouldn't talk to your employer like that, Kagome."

Sapphire eyes blazed with fury.

"I'm not working for you and I can talk to you however I like!"

"Really, so you're telling me that you don't need a job?"

"I don't need a job from you," she said stubbornly.

_Figures that she'd be a stubborn one. Well, time for the other strategy. _The Taiyoukai shook his head slightly and made his way back to his seat.

"Well, it appears that this Sesshoumaru cannot adopt the fox kit. He must be sent away to the orphanage. Jaken cannot possibly look after two children by himself especially now that he's injured. It looks like Rin will have to be placed at the childcare centre all day long for the time being too."

Before she knew what she was doing, Kagome had reached a hand out and grabbed his elbow. Sesshoumaru turned slightly to look at her.

"Wait. What did you just say?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself."

_Oh, that insufferable dog,_ Kagome thought, fighting back the urge to glare at him.

"You're not really sending Shippou away to the orphanage are you? And Rin, she can't be at the centre the whole day, that's just so … "

"Have you a better idea what to do then, miko?" he asked, removing his elbow from her hand and turning fully so that his golden eyes were looking directly into her sapphire ones.

"I, er," she began, biting on her lower lip, "Shippou is a good kid and Rin is an angel so … yeah, I suppose I could baby-sit them for you."

_Hook, line and sinker. _

Although his face was kept carefully blank, the tall inuyoukai was smiling to himself inside. His plan had worked like a charm on the soft-hearted miko.

"Very well. You will start immediately. Go home and pack all your things. This Sesshoumaru will pick you up at 5 p.m."

He began walking towards the door. In a few steps, Kagome was behind him, her hand once more taking hold of his elbow.

"Pack all my things? I have to live with you? But, but I can't! What about Sango? She can't possibly pay the rent all by herself!"

"That will be taken care of. Anything else?"

Kagome blinked twice. _Is he for real?_

"I-I guess not."

"Good," he said.

Casually placing his hand at the small of her back, he opened the door and guided her out towards the elevators. Unconsciously, Kagome leaned in closer to the youkai walking beside her, blissfully ignorant of the many pairs of female eyes glaring daggers at her passing form.

"This Sesshoumaru will see you later," he said the minute the metal doors slid open.

The ebony haired girl nodded and gave him a small smile just before the doors closed.

oOo

"This Sesshoumaru believes that he is hiding something."

"So you think working as an accountant is just his cover for something else."

"Hn."

"And that something else has got to do with Naraku."

"Hn."

"Right. Since when have accountants begun leading double lives huh?"

"Just do the job, hanyou or this Sesshoumaru will have your head," the inuyoukai threatened to the person on the other end.

"Keh. Alright, alright. Jeez. I'll go dig up everything about his past and present, happy?"

"Hn," was the reply before he ended the call.

Golden eyes glanced at the watch on his wrist. _Time to go pick Kagome up._ Swiftly he got up from his chair and exited his office for the day.

oOo

Her large chocolate brown eyes looked around at their surroundings while her partner spoke to the waiter. Despite only having been here for less than ten minutes, she had already taken a liking to the place. It had a very cozy feel to it and she couldn't help but feel relaxed.

The inside of the restaurant was painted a deep red color that matched the dark mahogany of the wooden furniture. A few artistic oil paintings hung here and there on the walls, highlighted by strategically placed lamps that bathed the entire room in a soft yellow light. All in all, it felt very homey.

_Funny, I never knew this place existed and I've been studying just 5 minutes away for the past two years._

"So, how do you like this place, my dear Sango?"

"Huh, oh, er, it's very nice."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, flashing her a grin.

She smiled back weakly, trying not to focus on how their knees were almost brushing one another's beneath the table.

"You know, Fujisawa-san –"

"Please, just call me Miroku, Sango."

"Okay, Miroku. I have a question."

Miroku raised a dark eyebrow but said nothing, only indicating with a slight tilt of his head for her to continue with whatever she wanted to ask.

"Why did you bring me here? It still doesn't make sense to me."

"What doesn't make sense?" he asked.

"This," she replied, gesturing to the restaurant with her hand. "I spilled coffee on you. You don't take people who spill coffee on your shirt early in the morning to dinner."

The man simply grinned and asked, "Not even if she is a pretty girl?"

A faint blush colored Sango's cheeks.

"No. You … you chew off their heads and then make them pay for dry cleaning or dinner or both."

"Oh, well. What can I say, I do things differently," he replied with a shrug. "Besides, it's just a shirt. I can easily get another. Don't worry about it."

"I still feel bad about dirtying it, coffee stains are hard to get out," mumbled Sango.

Amused, Miroku remarked, "That's what the dry cleaner is there for, isn't it?"

"I don't suppose you'd let me pay for the bill, would you?" asked Sango, turning her large brown eyes at him.

Picking up her hand, he gently ran his thumb over her knuckles and looked directly into her eyes before continuing softly, "No. But if it'll make you feel any better, I shall collect the payment I think is appropriate later."

The blush on her cheeks darkened so much that Sango was pretty sure they were matched the walls perfectly.

"Let's forget about it and just enjoy this lovely evening, shall we?" he said with a disarming smile as he clinked his wine glass with hers.

oOo

She should have known that he was too much of a gentleman to let her walk up to her apartment alone; not that she has got anything against it or whatsoever. But somehow, his walking her to her door caused her to think about things that are bound to happen when dates came to an end.

_But this isn't a date, _she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, _or is it?_ It had certainly felt like one.

He had been very attentive to her, spoiling her even, with her favorite food and desserts. He flirted with her and made her laugh. Even now, recalling the way he looked at her and the way he would touch her hand every now and then still had her stomach feeling as if it contained a hundred butterflies.

_If this isn't a date, I don't know what is. Does this mean I have to kiss him goodnight?_

Their arrival at her doorstep prevented her from further contemplating the matter.

Turning to face him, she said with a smile, "Thank you for dinner, I had a great time. Would you like to come in for coffee?"

"I had a great time too, thanks to you, my lovely Sango. As for the coffee, I'll save it for another time because if I do stay, you'll be too tired to attend your morning class tomorrow," he replied, an eyebrow raised suggestively.

Sango flushed bright red. _He did not just say what I think he did. Does that mean he was thinking of -_

"Well, goodnight then, my dear Sango."

"Goodnight," she replied automatically.

He had not taken two steps away when he spun around to face her once more.

"I nearly forgot."

It all happened between one heartbeat and the next. There she stood, all prepared to ask what he had forgotten only to find that the gap between them had disappeared and his lips covering hers. One hand cupped her cheek while the other rested at her waist.

It was just a kiss, chaste and sweet in its briefness, but it was unlike anything she had ever experienced in all her 21 years.

"I'll take that as compensation for the shirt," Miroku remarked softly, his thumb gently caressing her cheek.

He couldn't help smiling at the surprised look on her face. If he didn't leave now, there was no guarantee that she would be able to get any sleep tonight.

"I should go now, goodbye and goodnight Sango."

"Wait," she said, one hand fisting in his shirt to prevent him from walking away, "will I see you again?"

"Of course, my lovely Sango."

With that he removed her hand and walked away, the soles of his leather shoes tapping rhythmically against the tiled floor. Sango watched his retreating back with her chocolate brown eyes until he disappeared around the corner before entering her silent apartment. The feel of his lips still lingered on hers.

Downstairs, violet eyes gazed up to the fifth floor of the apartment building. As much as he wanted to take it further with the lovely, dark haired girl, he had to restrain himself. He wanted Sango around forever and not as just another woman for yet another one-night stand.

He wanted to be able to spend his days and nights with her, to be able to have a family with her, to grow old with her. But he couldn't. At least not until the matter with the jewel was resolved.

For now, he had to content himself with loving her from afar. If he could help it, there would be no more accidental meetings such as this between them. It wouldn't do if Naraku found out about Sango and decided to use her against him someday. He really wouldn't put it past Naraku to do something like that.

He will keep Sango safe even if it meant staying away from her.

"Goodbye, my beloved Sango," he whispered to the wind. _The next time I see you; there will be no more goodbyes._

The corner of his lips curled upwards into a small smile as he got into his car. Cursed as he is, it was nice to have something to look forward to.

oOo

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A/N: Review, please? I missed reading them. 


	22. Petal 22

A/N: I thought I could get this up sooner, but looks like this is the fastest I could do. Hope all of you enjoy this chapter. I think some of you out there have been waiting for a long time for certain events contained in this chapter to happen ::grins:: I hope it lives up to your expectations. Thanks for all the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

_Italics denote thoughts.

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_

oOo

Golden eyes stared at his reflection in the mirror. There on his left cheek was a large, angry red mark that will most definitely turn purple by tomorrow. Gingerly, he touched it with his hand. A hiss escaped him.

_Damn __miko_

-- Flashback –

At exactly 5 p.m. he rang the doorbell at Kagome's apartment. He heard her voice call out "Coming!" followed by soft footsteps approaching the door.

"Sesshoumaru!"

"Miko. Are you ready?" he asked, stepping over the doorstep and closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, I think so. Just give me a couple more minutes to throw in some odds and ends."

The inuyoukai nodded, his eyes taking in the appearance of the young, t-shirt and shorts clad woman. Her long ebony hair was pulled up into a messy bun, her heart shaped face flushed pink with a few beads of sweat adorning her brow. She looked disheveled, to say the least.

And all of a sudden he wanted to kiss her.

"Sesshoumaru, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop staring at me and help me carry my stuff."

"This Sesshoumaru is not your servant, miko," he growled, but followed her into her room anyway.

Her room looked very different since the last time he had been here. The books, the photographs, everything, was now in the few boxes and bags that were lined up near the door. The small room had lost all its cheeriness now that it had been stripped bare, but Sesshoumaru could hardly care less.

Instead, he found himself gazing at her back, his amber eyes trailing down her long legs appreciatively as she bent over a bag to stuff a few photo frames inside. _So this is what she had been hiding under those jeans of hers._

"There, all done!" she said, zipping the bag shut.

His face reverted immediately to the bored mask he always wore. He'd rather be damned for eternity than get caught checking out her legs. Come to think of it, why was he even doing it in the first place? Sure the miko is rather pretty, but that doesn't mean that he's interested in her in that way.

"That reminds me …"

Sesshoumaru liked to think that he had lightning fast reflexes courtesy of his demonic heritage. But somehow or other, it seemed to have failed him at that particular moment. Her fist connected with his face before his eyes even saw it coming, the force so strong that his head was snapped to the side.

He growled and bared his fangs at the young woman. _Did she just punch this __Sesshoumaru_

"That was for tricking me into working for you," she stated, looking directly at him with hardly a shadow of fear on her face.

"Now, oh-so-mighty Sesshoumaru-sama, do you think you can carry the two boxes over there? I'll wait for you at the elevator," she said, happily skipping out of the room with a large trolley bag trailing behind her.

-- End Flashback—

The stupid miko had punched him. Him, Kawamura Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the West, had been punched by a human girl half his size. And in the face, no less. Another growl escaped him.

He was surprised that he had not gutted the girl on the spot for her insolence. Perhaps it was because he knew that what she said was true or perhaps it was something else. He preferred to think that it was the former. It made things less complicated.

His eyes fell on his throbbing cheek once more. _Damn __miko_

Carefree laughter that he knew belonged to the miko and excited squeals belonging to Rin and the fox kit drifted in through the closed bathroom door. The trio must still be hard at play. Briefly he wondered what it was about the miko that attracted the kids to her. _It must be her childlike innocence._

Sesshoumaru didn't think he had it in him to kill someone with such innocence, even if that someone had punched him in the face. That would be like trying to kill Rin.

Sighing, he turned the knob on the door and exited the bathroom, letting that incident slide.

oOo

One week, seven days, one hundred and sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes, six hundred and four thousand and eight hundred seconds, and counting.

That was how long she had been staying with Sesshoumaru as Rin and Shippou's babysitter. She can't say that she totally disliked it, in fact, it was the exact opposite.

Looking after the two children was easy and it paid much better than her previous job, although she suspected that Sesshoumaru gave her more than necessary. She no longer worried about having enough money to pay bills for she had none to pay; Sesshoumaru had stubbornly refused to let her pay even a yen for her food and lodging. On top of that, she was given her own room that was twice as large as her old room back in the apartment she shared with Sango.

She had no complaints, her life is perfect now. Well, except for the whole being around Sesshoumaru constantly thing.

Kagome still didn't know what to make of that.

He's the first person she sees in the morning, the two of them being early risers, and the last one she sees at night. He's the one she sees at the end of a long, tiring day of classes. He's the one she fights with over the remote control when the kids have gone to bed. He's the one who stayed up with her until 4 o'clock in the morning when she had to rush to complete her assignment two nights ago.

He's the one who listens while she recounts all that happened to her during the day; everything including the most minor, inconsequential ones like how she got distracted by the tie her fashion challenged professor wore to class. He's also the only one who actively refuses to eat anything that vaguely resembles vegetables during dinner or any other mealtime for that matter.

She thought about him more than once a day and a more rational part of her wondered briefly if this could be healthy.

His face would appear in her mind at very random moments such as during a boring lecture or when she's preparing dinner (she volunteered for cooking duties after eating just one meal prepared by Jaken – it was unhealthy, to say the least) or when she's playing hide-and-seek with Rin and Shippou. The demon lord was also the first person she thought of when she saw beef steaks on sale at the butcher's a few days ago.

In less than a week, Sesshoumaru had become an integral part in her life. And she didn't know what to do.

Kagome sighed into the notebook that lay open before her on the low table. How was she supposed to study for the upcoming finals when all she could think of was the youkai sitting on the couch behind her? Another sigh.

Sesshoumaru raised his eyes from the book he was supposedly reading to look at the young woman at his feet when he heard her sigh.

Her forehead rested on the table where a few open books as well as highlighters of various fluorescent colors lay. A blue ink pen was clutched in her right hand and he couldn't help the smile that formed when he noted a similar pen holding up her hair in a bun on top of her head. Trust the miko to use something so unconventional to keep her hair up.

She sat up so suddenly that a good amount of her hair fell out of the loose bun to cascade down her back. Just as sudden, she plopped down onto the seat beside him, her head thrown back and eyes closed. _She must be tired from all the __playing with the children just now_he thought as he watched her.

A small hand reached over and smacked his knee as its owner focused her eyes on him.

"Stop staring at me. It's distracting."

"You have ink on your face."

"Where?" she asked, wiping at her face randomly with her palm.

"Here," he said, reaching over and rubbing gently at the spot on her cheek with his thumb.

The feel of his thumb on her face caught her by surprise and she unwittingly raised her eyes. Sapphire clashed with burning gold.

Sesshoumaru found her eyes absolutely mesmerizing. The deep blue color reminded him of a calm alpine lake that mirrored everything. If he looked hard enough, he could even make out his own reflection in their cerulean depths. Now he knew what they meant when they said that a person's eyes are the windows to his soul.

His Kagome's eyes are, without doubt, the windows to her soul. He could still remember how they softened with tenderness when she healed his wound sometime ago and how they flashed with fury when she confronted him last week. Her eyes were more expressive than her open face, even if he said so himself.

However, it was her sweet scent that proved to be his undoing. It teased his sensitive sense of smell, luring him into taking a deeper breath. He had never been particularly fond of floral scents but right now, he decided that he loved the aroma of lavenders. _But only if the scent is on her though._

Unconsciously, he moved in closer, the tip of his nose brushing her ear.

Kagome felt a shiver run through her at the exact moment. Sesshoumaru's actions were currently wrecking havoc with her senses and muddling her mind. His large hand cupped her cheek as his thumb drew lazy circles on the smooth skin. She doubted that she could form even one logical sentence now.

Her fingers dug into the cushion.

She turned her head; her lips parted enough for her to breathe out his name into his ear. He responded by covering her lips with his own. Her eyes slid shut and all coherent thought left her.

His Kagome's cherry red lips were far softer than he ever imagined them to be. The way her lips molded with his felt so right that he was very sure it was a cardinal sin not to deepen the kiss. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he drew her closer so that she was literally sitting in his lap as he began to nibble gently on her lower lip, all the while mindful of his sharp fangs.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft body up against his harder one. Small hands entwined themselves in his long silver hair, relishing in the luxurious feel of his silk-like mane. Fingertips that ghosted across his scalp and down his back were enough to make even a dog purr in contentment.

The hand that had been cupping her cheek reached up to pluck the pen from her hair, causing her glossy ebony hair to tumble down. Flicking the pen away somewhere, he ran his hand through her dark tresses, his claws barely grazing her scalp. A barely audible moan escaped her as a shiver ran down her spine.

Lightly and almost teasingly, Sesshoumaru ran the tip of his tongue across her lower lip, eliciting a faint gasp from her. Skillfully, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, rejoicing at finally being able to taste her.

Sesshoumaru doubted that anything could ever compare to how wonderful she tasted.

His Kagome tasted like a mixture of dark chocolate and honey with a hint of something fruity. There was also the taste of something sugary lingering in the background; something that he was willing to bet came from the lollipop he saw her eating earlier on with Rin and Shippou. They all seemed to blend together to become a flavor that is uniquely Kagome.

She was infinitely sweeter than anything he had ever had. And he wanted to taste more.

Kagome moaned softly at the back of her throat at the sensation of Sesshoumaru's tongue sliding against hers. His movements were languid and unhurried, yet they ignited a fire in her veins. The long fingers that had somehow sneaked under her shirt were randomly drawing lazy patterns on her lower back, further fuelling the flame and sending little jolts of electricity all along her spine.

A rather loud thunk that sounded suspiciously like a heavy object hitting the floor from the direction of the children's room interrupted their passionate exchange.

"I-I'd better go check on them. Shippou must have fallen out of his bed again," Kagome said hurriedly, her face flushed pink and her chest still heaving as she detached herself from him.

Golden eyes watched as she scampered away from him. He could still taste her sweetness that lingered in his mouth and smell her intoxicating scent that was still clinging on to him. His fingers still felt her ebony locks between them, his hand still felt her smooth skin beneath it and it was her soft curves that he still felt pressed up against his body.

The strong urge to envelop her in his arms and kiss her senseless made itself evident. A long sigh escaped him.

_What have you done to this __Sesshoumaru__, Kagome?_

oOo

Sesshoumaru leaned against the doorway that led into the kitchen cum dining room, silently observing the room's only occupant. Said occupant was currently wiping a small corner of the dining table with a cloth, something she had been doing for the past ten minutes. He doubted that his table could ever be dirty enough to warrant it a good ten-minute rubbing.

The faraway expression on her face as well as the fact that she had yet to notice his presence told him that her mind was somewhere else. With the way she occasionally nibbled on her lower lip, he was pretty sure that whatever her mind was dwelling on had something to do with him, or rather, what they did this afternoon.

A small smirk appeared on his lips. _So it had affected her as well._ This little bit of knowledge made him all the more confident in progressing with what he was about to do.

Carefully, he cleared his throat, startling the young woman in the process.

"Sesshoumaru! I-I didn't see you there," she exclaimed, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Did you want something?"

Pushing himself off the wall, he approached her like how a predator approaches its prey, his golden eyes holding her sapphire ones hostage. There was a definite air of stalking around him and he knew that she could feel it as well.

He heard her soft gasp and watched amusedly as her eyes widened when he stepped over the invisible boundary that marked the beginning of her personal space. If he strained his ears a bit, he could just make out the wild thumping of her heart.

Sesshoumaru stood so close to her that she had to tilt her head upwards to look at him. Lowering his head, he pressed a soft kiss to her slightly parted lips, pulling back before Kagome could register what just happened in her mind.

"You. This Sesshoumaru wants you, Kagome."

oOo

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A/N: So ... someone told me that Kagome let Sesshoumaru off too easy in the last chapter. Was the punch good enough or should I have broken his nose instead? 


	23. Petal 23

A/N: I have never received so many reviews in less than 24 hours before. Thank you, all of you! I feel so loved.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

_Italics denote thoughts.

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_

oOo

The smooth silvery surface rippled for a moment before an image appeared in it. However, it showed not one, but two people. One was his arch nemesis and the other …

He stared at the image. _Kikyo_

It cannot be for she's dead. He'd taken her life when he battled her for the Shikon no Tama some 500 or so years ago. Even if he had not killed her then, it was impossible for a human to live for such a long time.

The woman turned fully towards the mirror, a blissful smile lighting up her face as she leaned against the demon beside her. Eyes the color of fresh blood took a long hard look at her.

_No, __that's__ not __Kikyo_

The differences between the two were quite obvious now that he had taken a good look. Where Kikyo had brown eyes, the young woman had large blue ones. Instead of straight black hair, her ebony tresses were held waves.

A small smirk appeared on his face. Although initially it was the fact that she shared an uncanny resemblance to the miko he had killed that caught his eye, now his attention was focused on her because of her.

He wouldn't say that she's absolutely beautiful or downright gorgeous or any of those crap, but there was something about her face that made you perfectly willing to look at for long periods of time and never get tired of doing so. With a sweet smile and startling blue eyes that had purity and innocence written all over them, she looked like an angel.

The smirk widened.

Naraku simply adored angels. Their pure souls called out to him, begging him to taint them with his own dark one. The thought of being able to corrupt such purity thrilled him greatly.

But first, he needed to know the name of the lovely angel he was going to taint.

"Who is that lovely young woman?"

"Higurashi Kagome," a soft voice replied. "She's the reincarnation of the Shikon Miko, Kikyo."

_That explains the resemblance. _

Low chuckles filled the room.

This was much better than he expected. Who would have thought that the angel he wanted to pull down from the heavens was the reincarnation of the holy woman he killed so long ago? Now he can use her, like how he wanted to use Kikyo before she attacked him and he killed her. The lovely Kagome will undo what Midoriko did to the jewel and as a thank you gift; he will corrupt her pure, holy soul.

A movement in the mirror captured Naraku's attention once more. A little girl with dark, shoulder-length hair was being pulled into the young woman named Kagome's lap.

A smile of recognition lifted the corners of his mouth. _Well, hello there, my little chosen one._

Naraku furrowed his brow slightly. Now he was faced with two choices, each just as tempting as the other. Who should he use to unleash the powers of the Shikon no Tama?

_The girl or the __miko__The __miko__ or the girl?__Choices, choices._

He glanced once more at the image in the mirror. Kagome and the girl, Rin, were laughing gaily while the Taiyoukai watched on. They certainly looked every bit a happy little family.

_Happy little family …__Sesshoumaru's__ happy little __family _

Who knew that the stoic inuyoukai could actually care for another person, much less two? Gone was the lone warrior who ruled the Western Lands a few centuries ago.

A sneer appeared on the spider hanyou's face as the bitter memory of being reduced to nothing more than a very weak, writhing mass of condensed demonic energy, courtesy of Sesshoumaru's sword. Thankfully, he had managed to escape with the Shikon no Tama before the inuyoukai could finish him once and for all. It had taken him nearly three centuries to be able to regain half his original strength and another two more centuries to become who he is today.

_But with the __Shikon__ no Tama, I will be so strong and so powerful that even __Sesshoumaru__must__ bow down to me. What he did to me five centuries ago will be repaid ten fold._

Naraku's eyes fell upon the expressionless face of the dog demon.

_What look would there be on __Sesshoumaru's__ face if his happy little fa__mily was taken away from him? __Anger?__Grief?__Is__ he even capable of showing expressions?_

Naraku chuckled again, this time louder and with more mirth than before. The Fates must really despise the arrogant inuyoukai to leave the lives of the two people Sesshoumaru cares a lot for in his hands.

Fate, never be said that Naraku does not believe in it.

In his mind, plans to destroy the inuyoukai forever rapidly took shape. He'll let the happy little family destroy itself while he sat back and enjoyed the show. Why should he trouble himself with all the hard work when they themselves can do such a brilliant job?

Manipulating people was, and still is, his forte.

"Kanna, it is show time," he said with a malicious smile.

oOo

"No way! You must be kidding me!" a voice exclaimed followed by the sound of something, a mug maybe, hitting the countertop.

"Of course not. Suki told me herself that when she came here to look for him, she was practically spitting with anger and Aya said she could hear her shouting angrily in his office."

"Woah."

"Yeah, I mean, can you believe he did that?"

"Kami, I don't know what to think. I always thought that these things would happen to Miroku-san, with him being such a flirt and all."

He stopped short when he heard the mention of his name, a sneeze tickling his nose. Curious, he pressed himself closer against the wall as their voices filtered out through the open pantry door.

"Who would have thought that Kawamura-sama would be such a womanizer?"

His eyes widened slightly. _That dog__A womanizer?__ Now this is news!_

"Yeah, I didn't believe it too at first but how can you explain his heavily pregnant fiancée coming up all the way to look for him? He must have been doing something behind her back and she found out."

_Wait, he has a heavily pregnant fiancé__e_

"That must have been hard on the poor woman."

"Woman? No! His fiancée was only a girl, young and barely out of high school!"

Miroku swallowed silently. _Sesshoumaru__ got such a young girl pregnant?__Dear Buddha, what was he thinking?_

"What?! How could he do that? To think that I respected him for so long. Do you think that they're only getting married because he got her pregnant?"

"I wouldn't doubt that. Why else would he be marrying someone so much younger than him? I'm sure he's old enough to be her father!"

Sounds of their heels clicking on the tiled floor alerted him to their nearing presence. Quickly, he turned and walked back towards his office, the need for a cup of strong coffee forgotten entirely.

_Perhaps I should talk to __Sesshoumaru__ about the error of his ways. Really, what was he thinking, knocking up a young girl and then continue sleeping around behind her back._

His legs brought him automatically to his partner's office as he thought about the best way to approach the topic.

Not even stopping to knock, he stepped directly into Sesshoumaru's office and shut the door behind him, oblivious to the glare the inuyoukai was sending him.

"This Sesshoumaru believes that it is only polite to knock before you enter, Fujisawa."

"Ah, Sesshoumaru. We need to talk," he said before settling himself into a chair opposite the demon lord.

The dog demon raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"You should stop what you're doing you know, before someone gets hurt."

Sesshoumaru's face was as blank as a brick wall. _Could he be more cryptic?_

"I mean, it's already wrong to impregnate such a young woman but you've made it ten times worse by not putting a stop to your womanizing days after promising to marry her. You should be repenting, Sesshoumaru."

_Womanizing days?__ What womanizing days? _

True, he had had lovers before, but never more than one at a time. Moreover, currently, he was only seeing one Higurashi Kagome and no one else. So how could his junior partner just barge into his office and accuse him of being a womanizer?

"This Sesshoumaru does not know of what you're talking about."

"Come on, Sesshoumaru, don't deny it. It's all over the office. You made a young girl pregnant, promised to marry her and she confronts you after discovering that you're being unfaithful behind her back. Don't you think that she deserves better treatment than that after what you have put her through?"

The inuyoukai blinked, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"Besides, she's already so far along, I'm sure nasty surprises like that are not good for her or the baby. What you should do is focus on having a happy family together with the girl. It's -"

"Enough!" he growled, "This Sesshoumaru does not have a fiancée, pregnant or otherwise and -"

Immediately, he stilled, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. _Now, where have this __Sesshoumaru__ heard that before?_ Absently, he touched his cheek at the spot where Kagome had punched -

_Oh, right. __This __Sesshoumaru's__ fiancée._

It only just occurred to him that his entire office was discussing Kagome's angry visit nearly two weeks ago. He let out a low growl at the thought of his employees discussing, no, speculating about his private life.

"Er, Sesshoumaru?"

"Those are merely rumors. The young woman who came to see this Sesshoumaru was Rin's new babysitter."

"And?" Miroku prompted.

"The receptionist would not let her enter, that's why she said that she's this Sesshoumaru's fiancée," he explained, conveniently failing to mention the little fact that he was the one who started the whole Kagome being his pregnant fiancée thing.

"She is not this Sesshoumaru's fiancée nor is she carrying this Sesshoumaru's child." _Yet._

Miroku had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Well, heh, I guess it was a mistake on my part, I shouldn't have listened to those rumors. I'm so sorry for disturbing you," he said with a nervous laugh as he hurriedly got out of his chair and towards the door.

His fingers had barely grazed the doorknob when Sesshoumaru's voice, cold and authoritative, stopped him.

"What is your relation with Naraku, Fujisawa?"

His violet eyes widened only marginally at the mention of that name.

Carefully schooling his features, he turned to face the inuyoukai and said with a smile, "I have no idea who is that."

In a flash, Sesshoumaru was out of his chair and had the dark haired man pinned against the door, his hand wrapped around his neck.

"Do not lie to this Sesshoumaru!" he growled.

Miroku felt sharp nails digging into his flesh, nails that could easily rip out his throat in the blink of an eye.

"You work for that hanyou scum, don't you?" asked Sesshoumaru, golden eyes narrowing dangerously.

Miroku forced himself to look innocent, to pretend that he had absolutely no idea what the demon holding him up was talking about. It was hard, considering that he was trying to suck in enough oxygen at the same time, but he somehow or other managed to pull it off.

Too bad Sesshoumaru was not convinced.

"Do not think you can deceive this Sesshoumaru. Your scent along with that of Naraku's Saimyoushou was found in the park the night you lured Kagome there and captured her. Speak! What does Naraku want with Kagome?"

"I … don't know … what-," he gasped as the sharp claws stopped him short.

Obviously, that wasn't the answer the demon lord wanted to hear.

Not wanting to kill him before he got some answers, Sesshoumaru dropped him onto the carpeted floor unceremoniously. Miroku clutched at his neck, coughing and wheezing as air flooded into his lungs once more.

The Taiyoukai stared down impassively at the person sitting crumpled at his feet. The man was being very stubborn. How could he still deny when the odds were clearly against him? Is he that loyal to Naraku that he'd rather die than reveal the hanyou's plans?

"Who are you really?"

"cough Fujisawa cough Miroku," he rasped. "You should cough know by now."

Sesshoumaru hauled him up by the front of his shirt.

"Are you Naraku's spy?"

"No."

A sharp ringing interrupted his interrogation of his junior partner. The voice of his secretary emanated from the intercom informing him that his client was here to see him.

He dropped Miroku onto the floor once more, golden eyes glaring at the man as he shakily got up and straightened his clothes.

"This is far from over, Fujisawa," he growled.

Miroku swallowed and beat a hasty retreat, thanking Buddha earnestly from the bottom of his heart that he was still alive.

oOo

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong about that guy's age. I found 5 different ID's and at least 10 passports from various countries all issued at different times. Heck, there was even a passport that looked ancient to me and trust me, I've seen ancient."

"Hn."

"It's true, Sesshoumaru! You don't believe me? Here, I have pictures to prove it," Inuyasha said, tossing a large brown envelope to him.

Copies of ID's and passports as well as a handful of photographs fell out when the demon lord emptied the contents of the envelope onto his desk. Golden eyes scanned through the pictures quickly; they ranged from glossy, colored ones to much yellowed, monochromatic photographs.

Sesshoumaru didn't need a second look. There was no denying that in each and every picture was the man he asked Inuyasha to investigate, a man by the name of Fujisawa Miroku. But still, his rational mind was reluctant to accept it.

The oldest of the few slightly wrinkled, black-and-white pictures had to be at least fifty years old and the most recent one was dated the Christmas of last year. No way, there was simply no way that the human male could live for so long without aging at all.

Picking up a slightly yellowed picture, Sesshoumaru studied it carefully. He recognized the building in the background; it had been torn down some forty or so years ago. Comparing that with the one taken in front of the Eiffel Tower last year, he found no difference at all in Miroku. He still had the same hairstyle, the same violet colored eyes and the same roguish grin. It was as if the two pictures were taken at the same time and not decades apart.

"Are these real, Inuyasha?"

"Keh, of course. They're all 100 authentic, no doctoring whatsoever," he replied.

Sesshoumaru didn't need to know that he had bribed someone into stealing it for him from Miroku's apartment.

"Oh, there's something else I want you to see," said Inuyasha as he rummaged through the pile of photographs on the table before plucking out a small Polaroid snapshot.

"Here, take a look at this," he said, handing it to the Taiyoukai.

The demon lord furrowed his brow. In the picture was Miroku and a woman; a woman he recognized as one of Naraku's dead offspring.

"So what do you make of it, Sesshoumaru?"

"That man is hiding something, this Sesshoumaru is sure of that," he said quietly.

oOo

"Sesshoumaru is suspicious of me."

The youkai sitting across from him choked on his rice and looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"He very nearly killed me today. I think he knows that I work for Naraku," he said, calmly pushing rice into his mouth.

"What are you going to do now?"

Setting down his bowl, he leaned back in his chair, saying, "Steal the Shikon no Tama from Naraku and return it to the Shikon Miko."

"The Shikon Miko … that's the female named Higurashi Kagome right, Miroku?"

"Yes, what about her?"

Hachi sighed and said, "She's the Taiyoukai's woman. In fact, they're even living together."

Violet eyes widened, hardly believing what he heard. _Sesshoumaru__ has a woman living with him?!_

"How do you know that?"

"The hanyou Inuyasha mentioned it last night when I gave him the –"

He hurriedly slapped his paws over his mouth. Miroku was not supposed to know about that!

"What did you give Inuyasha, Hachi?" he asked sweetly, a dangerous smile forming on his handsome face.

"P-P-Pictures?"

"And what pictures exactly?"

"Erm, yours?"

As soon as the words left him, the tanuki youkai was hauled bodily out of his chair and thrown onto the floor, fists pummeling him mercilessly.

"You stupid, stupid demon! Do you know how much trouble you have caused me? Damn raccoon you! I don't know why I keep you around. Damn you!"

He pulled the youkai up until they were at eye level with one another.

"You," he began, "are going to obtain the jewel with me whether you want it or not. And we'll do it tonight."

Hachiemon could only whimper and nod.

Miroku's violet eyes were hard as he let the raccoon demon go. They would get it done and if they're lucky, they could disappear from this country forever. It's either that or die trying. Either way …

_I'm sorry, Sango._

oOo

"There, all done. Now we'll just wait for the cake to bake," she said as she shut the oven door and pulled off the mitts from her hands.

The two children nodded but continued to stare up unblinking at the oven, as if willing the cake to bake faster.

Kagome chuckled and said, "Now, now, you don't have to stare at it for the entire hour you know."

Still the two continued staring.

"Hmm … I know! How about the two of you go and have your nap now? I promise by the time you wake up the cake will be ready for eating."

"Really?" asked Rin.

"Yes, really."

Shippou broke into a wide grin before grabbing Rin's hand and tugging her towards their bedroom.

"Come on Rin! The sooner we wake up, the sooner we get to eat the cake!"

Kagome laughed as she followed them out at a more sedate pace.

By the time she reached their bedroom, the two children were already sprawled on top of the covers, eyes tightly shut.

Shippou had gone out like a light by the time she pulled the covers over him, but Rin opened her brown eyes sleepily when she went to tuck her in.

"Don't let cake burn, 'Gome," she murmured before nodding off.

"I won't," she replied, dropping a kiss on the little girl's forehead.

Silently, she stood up and went out of the room. After taking a peek at the cake baking happily in the oven, she returned to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Picking up a book Sesshoumaru had recommended from the coffee table, she began to read.

Not ten pages later, her eyelids began drooping, her mouth opening for what seemed like the hundredth time in a yawn.

Giving in to yet another yawn, she placed the book back on to the table. _Trust __Sesshoumaru__ to read such boring books. I swear __this is worse than__ my textbooks. __One more yawn, my cheeks will split. __Note to self, never read books that are recommended by that dog._

Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall above the television, she absently noted that a certain demon lord would be home in two hours.

_Sesshoumaru_

Ever since that day, he had made it very obvious that he wanted to court her. Passionate kisses, lingering touches, everything that courting couples do. That demon even had the nerve to play footsie with her when they were having dinner a few nights ago! She blushed lightly at the memory. _Thank __Kami__ no one else noticed what he was doing._She'd hate to have to explain it to the children.

For someone who appeared stoic and unapproachable at all times, Kagome was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a somewhat playful side to him. Well, playful for Sesshoumaru, that is.

He stole kisses whenever possible, his favorite time being when she was busy in the kitchen preparing meals. Not that she disliked surprises of that sort, but really, one of these days he's going to find himself kissing the back of a pan if he keeps on surprising her like that.

Whenever they're watching a movie together, long after her two charges have gone to sleep, he likes to cuddle her. He would pull her into his arms, hugging her and keeping her warm with his body, something she really liked. For someone so stiff, he makes a wonderful pillow.

He also has a penchant for sniffing at her hair. More than once, she had gotten out of the bathroom after a nice hot shower only to find herself wrapped in the arms of a demon lord who was not so surreptitiously taking a good sniff. _Good thing he doesn't know that __I'm __doing the __same_Kagome thought with a smile.

Kagome sighed happily into the pillow she was hugging. Thinking of the things Sesshoumaru had done gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling.

She had only been living here for about two weeks but couldn't remember a time when she had been happier. True, she was happy living with her family when she was younger and then with Sango when college time rolled around, but those had been a different kind of happiness. The kind of joy she was currently experiencing was the kind only found with a lover.

Another blush.

Yes, the miko Kagome loves the demon lord Sesshoumaru. She had no idea how, when or why but she loved him although she wouldn't go so far as to say that it was love at first sight. Kami knows that she hated him at first sight.

Nevertheless, it was Sesshoumaru that she loves and that was all that mattered now. Regardless of what anybody thought, she wanted to be with him forever. She wanted to take care of him, visit places with him, grow old with him by her side even if he hardly ages and just … love him.

She loved just being here with him doing everyday things like buttering his toast for him, stealing the section with Sudoku from his newspaper, making him eat his vegetables (honestly, he was worse than Shippou on a bad day!), trying to beat him at Monopoly by ganging up with Rin and Shippou, and all the other easily forgettable, very normal things. And she did not mind it one tiny bit.

Normal was nice; she loved normal especially when Sesshoumaru was part of the normalcy too.

The shrill ring of the timer on the oven went off in the kitchen, rousing Kagome from her thoughts. She got up to check on the cake, humming softly with a smile on her heart-shaped face.

Too bad it is always calmest before a storm.

oOo

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A/N: I'd like to thank snowbird on A-Single-Spark for giving me the idea of Sesshoumaru's employees gossip about him. Thank you! And now, let the, er, games begin! 


	24. Petal 24

A/N: This rather long (by my standards) chapter is both a peace offering (because I'm late in updating; the holiday season has made me very very lazy) and something of a New Year present. Happy 2008 everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Sighs.

_Italics denote thoughts.

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_

oOo

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow. The last time he had been here, this place had been different, so very different that he almost didn't recognize it were it not for the old oak tree in the middle of the field. Granted, the tree was far from the lush, leafy one in his memory but it was still the same tree, albeit a little, okay, a lot, dry.

Different, definitely different.

The flowers that used to bloom in such great abundance, stretching all the way to the horizon, were gone with only a few wilted rose bushes testament to its former glory. The green rolling field was now brown and cracked earth, so barren that not even weeds could grow.

Golden eyes looked around expectantly for her. She's not here, his mind told him, but nonetheless he looked. _She really isn't here. _No petite, ebony haired young woman with sapphire eyes in this desolate landscape.

Disappointment flashed through him briefly but it was quickly overwhelmed by a strong, growing sense of uneasiness. A little voice at the back of his mind kept telling him something bad must have befallen her, his Kagome. And he found himself agreeing readily with it, remembering the sad smile she gave him when they last met.

_Does this mean that the danger she spoke of has occurred?_

Elegantly arched brows knitted themselves together. He hadn't the slightest inkling what exactly was the danger that she spoke of.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move near the oak tree. Silently, he cursed the dim light for hampering his otherwise superb vision. Placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, he walked towards it, dry twigs crunching and snapping loudly beneath his boots. One can never be too careful.

Sesshoumaru never expected to find something like that here, not at a time like this. There tucked into a small crevice in one of the oak's raised roots was a white oleander. It looked very out of place, to say the least, and he was pretty sure that it had not been there in the first place.

Picking it up, he examined it carefully. The blossom was still fresh looking, so someone must have just placed it there. _But why?__ Why place a flower that means 'caution' here? Could this be some kind of message for this __Sesshoumaru_

The faint scent of lavender drifted to him from behind and he turned around.

His amber gaze took in her appearance. She was no longer dressed in the cream colored kimono but rather, in a white kimono shirt and a red hakama – a miko's garb. But her face, it was blank, devoid of any expression and her brilliant sapphire eyes were hollow.

In her right hand was clutched a wooden bow, and strapped onto her back was a quiver of arrows.

"Kagome," he called out softly, tentatively.

Her fair face gave no indication that she had heard him or even recognized him. He felt his heart clench; it hurt to see her like this, to see her beautiful, expressive face devoid of expressions.

"Beware."

A voice, hers and yet not hers at the same time, spoke. He looked at her, waiting for her to say more.

Say more she did not, but in a dull, flat tone that held no trace of her normally cheerful lilt, she repeated herself.

"Beware."

"Kagome, what-"

He was stopped short by the sight of her drawing an arrow from her quiver and fitting it to her bow. Her movements were smooth and methodical, as if she had been doing this since forever.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice cold, angry and bewildered.

She took aim and pulled hard on the string. It made a loud twang that seemed to echo in his ears when she let go.

At the same time, he pointed his sword at her, although he had no recollection of having drawn it in the first place.

The arrow flew in a straight line towards him, embedding itself firmly in his left shoulder. The force of it pushed him several steps backwards. But Sesshoumaru being the seasoned warrior that he is recovered his footing immediately and in the blink of an eye, launched himself at her.

His eyes widened as he realized what he was about to do but he couldn't stop himself. It was as if someone else was controlling his limbs.

In one swift movement, he stabbed her with his sword, impaling her fragile body on the sharp blade.

Her face contorted in pain, blood dribbling out the corner of her mouth. On her white kimono shirt, a patch of deep crimson grew in diameter.

She looked up at him, not with the hollow, soulless eyes, but with the beautiful sapphire eyes that he loved. Confusion swirled in their cerulean depths along with hurt and betrayal.

A tear slid down her smooth cheek.

"Why?" she whispered before shattering into millions of tiny, microscopic shards before his very eyes. There wasn't even time for him to blink.

"KAGOME!"

---

---

Sesshoumaru shot up from his bed, his breathing heavy and his heartbeat erratic. A few beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Glancing around, he was relieved to find himself in his bedroom. He half expected to find himself at that barren place, cradling –

He shook his head.

_It was just a dream._

Yes, a dream, a dream that baffled him. He had sworn to protect her, so why would he be dreaming of something like that? He was never one to go back on his promise, besides, he loved her too much. He'd kill himself first before the thought of hurting her could even cross his mind.

Sighing inaudibly, he pushed the covers off him and got out of bed. There was no more going back to sleep for him tonight after that dream. The accursed scene was etched firmly behind his eyelids and unless he could somehow sleep with his eyes open, he would definitely see it the minute he closed his eyes.

He sighed once more as he pulled on a pair of loose drawstring pants before padding softly out of his room.

On his way to the kitchen, he passed the room occupied by Kagome. Before he knew it, he had let himself in.

On the queen sized bed, his Kagome lay fast asleep on her side, her face peaceful and serene with a hint of a smile on her rosy lips. _She looks like an angel,_ he thought as he sat down gently on the edge of her bed. _What is she dreaming of?_

"Kagome," he whispered, caressing her soft cheek with his hand.

As if in response to her name, she mumbled something incoherent before nuzzling his palm. She looked so adorable that he couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.

A small warm hand reached up and covered his larger one. Half-lidded blue eyes blinked owlishly as she murmured a sleepy "Sessmaru".

"Go back to sleep, Kagome," he said softly.

She sat up and looked at him, a curious expression on her face. That expression, coupled with her sleep tousled hair made her look very adorable.

Then she smiled, a smile that had the inuyoukai growing wary all of a sudden.

Slender fingers tweaked his nose before he could move out of the way fast enough. The demon lord frowned as she giggled. He had seen her do it to Shippou before and never had he thought that he'd be subjected to it as well like some little pup.

"What are you doing in my room at," she glanced quickly at the clock on her bedside table, "3.15 in the morning, Sesshoumaru?"

"Nothing. Just –"

"You couldn't sleep," she stated rather than asked.

He gave a nod. How she knew, he had no idea. Then again, she did have an uncanny ability to pick up on the things he never said.

"Bad dream?"

Another nod.

Kagome surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him forward slightly to envelope him in her warm embrace. A hand at the back of his head stroked his hair softly, gently.

"It's okay. It's nothing but a dream," she whispered in his ear.

He encircled her waist with his arms, closing the distance between their bodies before burying his nose in her ebony tresses to inhale her sweet lavender scent. It had always calmed him down and now was no exception. With Kagome here, it was easier for him to believe that the dream was just that, a dream.

Now, if only he could get that damned oleander out of his mind …

He sighed and placed his forehead on her shoulder. She drew circles on his back with a free hand.

Just as he was getting comfortable having her in his arms, Kagome drew back and wriggled out saying, "Come now, you need to go to work in the morning. Let's get you back to bed."

He frowned once more, eliciting a chuckle from her as she tugged on his hand to lead him out of her room and into his.

"Would you like me to tuck you in and sing you a lullaby?" she asked teasingly. He scowled.

"Sweet dreams, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said, reaching up and giving him a peck on the lips before turning around to leave the room.

She let out a surprised squeak when she found herself hugged from behind, a pair of strong arms keeping her against a hard chest.

"Stay with this Sesshoumaru tonight, Kagome," he said softly.

It was not a command, nor was it a request. It was a plea.

oOo

From the shadows, violet eyes gazed up at the tall building. He'd been here countless times but this was the first time he'd really looked at it.

It was one of the taller skyscrapers in the vicinity and looked very much like a giant Christmas tree with its many orange colored lights illuminating it. Most people found its beauty captivating, for being made entirely of expensive black marble; it held a certain aura of mysteriousness about it especially at night.

However, he didn't really care for such things, much preferring to appreciate the beauty of a woman instead of the beauty of a building at any given time.

Miroku stared at the little pane of orange light on the topmost floor. The one thing he had been after all these years, the source of his unnatural lifespan sat in a small safe hidden beneath a drawer in a room there. Of course he knew about the safe, he knew everything about it including the name of the man who designed that particular safe.

But the most important piece of information he has regarding the safe would be the 8-digit alphanumeric code needed to open it without triggering the alarm and alerting Naraku.

He smiled slightly to himself. _What can I say, I'm a professional._

Pulling back his cuff, he took a glance at this watch. _It's time._

"Hachi."

"Yes, danna?" a shaky voice answered.

"How long have you been working for me?"

The tanuki youkai looked confused at the question. He had been expecting a command to storm the building immediately or something of the sort but not this.

"500 years, maybe?" he replied, scratching his head with a paw.

"500 years," Miroku repeated softly. "That's a very long time, don't you think?"

Hachiemon nodded.

"500 years. You've been a very good friend and partner all these years, Hachi, have I ever told you that?"

The demon did not answer. Instead, he looked at the man curiously, not liking where the conversation between them was heading.

"I still remember the very first time I saw you. You barged into my room by mistake when you were running away from Mushin after he saw you stealing food from the temple kitchen. It was after that incident that we took you in and let you stay in the temple with us."

"That's because you wanted a personal slave," Hachi mumbled, instantly receiving a hard knock on his head.

"A very well fed and well paid slave."

The raccoon demon rubbed at the sore spot with his paw. It was true though, what Miroku had said, there was no denying it. Although the man would sometimes beat him black and blue in order to coerce him into something, he had never starved him and would pay him quite generously every time he did something for him.

Miroku really wasn't a bad master to work for; he could think of worse, like Naraku for example who had been known to kill even his own offspring.

"Hachi," Miroku began quietly, "I think the time has come for you to be on your own."

Hachi blinked, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"D-Danna, what do you mean? You're not leaving me are you?"

"Yes, Hachiemon, I am."

The plump demon shook his head furiously and opened his mouth to protest but Miroku beat him to it.

"I'm going to do this myself. I don't want to drag you into this, it's too dangerous. I'd feel better going inside knowing that you're safe. You've been a great help all these years, Hachi."

He paused to tuck his hands into his pockets before continuing.

"I've left sufficient funds for you to go somewhere far away, so do me a favor and go set up a family and produce a bunch of little raccoons," Miroku said, turning his back towards the demon beside him as he began to walk out of the dark alley they were in.

Furry paws grabbed the back of his black shirt, stopping him in his tracks.

"No, danna. Take me with you; you can't just leave me like this. We've been through so much together, I'm not afraid of anything, not even Naraku!"

Miroku pried Hachi's paws off.

"Listen to me, Hachi. This is very dangerous. Naraku is very dangerous. He'll kill us without even blinking an eye. You're my friend, that's why I can't drag you along when I know that my death is probably waiting for me just around the corner."

"B-But you can't go in there alone! You will die!" wailed Hachi.

"I've lived for far too long anyway. I'll manage," Miroku replied with a comforting smile. "Do me one last favor?"

The tanuki demon nodded, tears welling up in his beady eyes. There was no arguing with the man when he had already made up his mind.

"Can you keep an eye on Sango for me? Just make sure she's safe … and happy."

Hachiemon nodded.

"Thank you, Hachi."

With that, he walked briskly away, the dark shadows of the unlit alley swallowing up his silhouette greedily.

oOo

The door opened just wide enough for a dark figure to slip into the dark room from the dimly lit corridor outside before quietly closing shut once more.

He looked around once, twice, and sighed quietly, leaning on the wall as he calmed his furiously beating heart. Thank Buddha he managed to get the heavy mahogany doors to unlock before anyone came. He nearly had a heart attack when he thought he heard footsteps around the corner while he was still trying to get the door to open.

Like a specter, the black clad figure slid into the inner room of Naraku's large office and headed straight for the desk at the far end.

Miroku pulled open the drawer and removed the false bottom to reveal the hidden safe, his movements sure and unhurried, as if he had been doing this everyday for the past three centuries. Nimble fingers entered the password and violet eyes held a trace of triumph in them as the smooth panel sprung open to reveal the ebony box that contained the Shikon no Tama.

Gingerly, he extracted the box while casting a watchful eye on the door.

_This is __it,_he thought as he lifted the lid that would reveal the jewel sitting in the velvet depths.

Only problem is, there was no jewel in sight.

Miroku stared at it dumbstruck. _No! T__his cannot be! Where is the __Shikon__ no Tama?!_

Immediately, light flooded the room and he whipped his head up.

Violet clashed with ruby.

"Looking for this, Fujisawa?" asked Naraku, holding up the dull grey jewel in his left hand.

"Of course not. I just wanted to know what a half-demon like you keep in your drawers, that's all," Miroku said with a nonchalant shrug.

Naraku laughed a long, loud laugh as if he found the entire thing nothing but one colossal joke.

Miroku clenched his jaw, not the slightest bit amused. His plan had just been shot, or rather laughed, to pieces. Quickly he racked through his mind. Where was the emergency backup plan when you needed it?

_Damn __it, how had __Naraku__ known?_ He had been very, very careful around the hanyou and there was no way something like that could have slipped out. Unless that vile half-demon was a mind reader …

"I thought you had more finesse than this, Fujisawa. Breaking and entering just doesn't seem to be your style."

"Breaking and entering? Why, I didn't break anything when I entered, thank you very much," he retorted smoothly.

"You didn't? Well, well, well. I suppose I can give you some help there. How does breaking and exiting sound?"

Miroku furrowed his brow. _What exactly is __Naraku__ up to?_

"I'll have to pass. I prefer walking out through the door on my own two feet and with the Shikon no Tama, if you please."

"Now, you know I can't allow that, Fujisawa."

_Great, I'm successfully trapped. There's no way I can escape unless I jump out the window,_ he thought, surreptitiously eyeing the glass windows behind his back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Fujisawa. We're on the 26th floor after all."

_Damn you. _"Anything is better than being here with you, Naraku," replied Miroku amiably.

"Well, if that's the case, let me help you go straight to hell," the hanyou said with a smirk on his face.

As soon as the last word left his lips, a long, deadly tentacle emerged from his left shoulder and shot directly towards Miroku. It all happened so quickly that he did not have the time to move an inch from where he stood, much less dodge the rapidly approaching tentacle.

Miroku watched in wide-eyed horror as it cut through the air. Much too soon, the sharp point pierced through his abdomen, skewering him like how one skewers a piece of meat at a barbeque.

Bright red blood spurted out from where he had been pierced and stained every surface with its crimson color - the smooth table, the lush carpets and the squeaky clean, clear glass windows. A thin line of the viscous fluid ran a trail out of the corner of his mouth.

"Na … ra –"

"Tell me, Fujisawa, did you really think that I trusted you entirely?"

Miroku forced a smile.

"How … old do … you … think … I … am? Three?" he rasped, coughing up more blood and adding to the growing crimson patch on the carpet.

"Smart boy. I've always known that you'd double-cross me one day, just like I know the rest of them would too sometime in the near future. For the record, you and everyone else is dispensable, something I use and throw away when done with."

"H-How … comforting," he said with the best sneer he could muster.

Naraku chuckled.

"Here comes the breaking part. Enjoy the trip to hell, Fujisawa."

oOo

On the ground, 26 floors below, Hachi's ears twitched slightly when he heard something that sounded remotely like glass breaking. He ignored it, dismissing it as a mere break-in gone wrong in the area and continued his slow, heavy plodding away from the building, away from this place and soon away from this city as well.

He still couldn't believe that Miroku, his best friend and master, had sent him away. Sadly, he shook his head. Whoever said that nothing lasts forever was a genius indeed.

Suddenly the previously quiet street was filled with voices as the people around him began whispering to one another in anxious, disbelieving voices. He swore he heard the word 'demon' mentioned with fear lacing it more than once.

Hachiemon raised his eyes from the ground and noticed the people around him pointing and staring at something that just so happened to be behind him.

Giving in to curiosity, he turned and looked up to where they were pointing.

Fear gripped his heart with its icy fingers and his eyes widened when they saw the long, writhing, tentacle-like object extend from somewhere inside the topmost floor of the building Miroku had just entered.

A second later, the tentacle retracted itself, shooting backwards to wherever it came from.

"Oh my God!" a woman's voice shouted. Behind him another woman echoed it.

The tanuki youkai was rooted to the spot, too stunned to even take a breath as he watched something the tentacle left behind fall from the sky along with everyone else.

Something that looked very much like a body.

"DANNA!"

oOo

A particularly loud clap of thunder brought her out of her pleasantly weird dreams about flying dogs and daisy chains in sunflower fields. _It's raining,_ she thought with a smile and turned on her side without even cracking her eyes open. Rainy mornings are perfect for sleeping in!

She snuggled further down into her pillow with another sleepy smile.

The low rumble that sounded just beside her ear was promptly dismissed by her subconscious mind as thunder.

However, her mind was awake enough to quietly inform her that thunder just beside one's ear would sound louder, much louder than the low rumble she just heard.

Kagome opened her eyes and blinked slowly, her long lashes brushing against a smooth surface that she immediately identified as not belonging to her pillow.

"Good morning, Kagome."

_Oh, __Sesshoumaru,_she thought absently.

Then she jolted up, dragging most of the cotton quilt with her, a million thoughts running through her mind faster than Japan's famed bullet train.

_Oh no, no, no, no. What is he doing in my room? __Dear __Kami__, he's not wearing a shirt. __Just what did we do last night?__ Did he do something__ to me__Is he__… is he __wearing anything __… __underneath? _

A blush colored her cheeks as she tried not to imagine a naked Sesshoumaru who was, fortunately or unfortunately, depending, covered from the waist to the knees by the part of the quilt that she had not dragged with her to cover herself.

The Taiyoukai watched in amusement as her face reddened. He wondered what could be the cause of her rather fine blush this early in the morning until he noted her lingering gaze at a certain part of his lower body.

Raising an eyebrow, he smirked at her.

"Are you that impatient to see this Sesshoumaru naked?" he teased.

The blush on her face darkened considerably as she muttered, "Pervert. Go get some clothes."

"You have seen this Sesshoumaru shirtless before, so why the sudden need for such modesty?"

"I didn't mean shirts. I meant other clothes, like, oh, a pair of boxers, maybe?" she asked, her tone just that little bit hopeful.

"Does that mean you like seeing this Sesshoumaru without a shirt?"

"Argh! You are insufferable!" she exclaimed, pulling even more of the quilt to her and burying her already flaming face in it.

Sesshoumaru chuckled softly and Kagome raised her head out of curiosity.

"This Sesshoumaru does not sleep in the nude, merely shirtless."

_Thank __Kami_A shirtless Sesshoumaru she could deal with but a naked Sesshoumaru was another story altogether despite the annoying little voice in her head that kept insisting that Sesshoumaru sans clothing was much, much better than Sesshoumaru without the shirt only.

Picking up the royal blue pillow beside her, she hugged it to herself and sighed into it. _Great, I'm a pervert._

_Wait, w__hen did my pillow case turn blue?_

"This is not my room," she said softly.

"Of course not. It is this Sesshoumaru's."

She turned her wide sapphire eyes at him, surprise written all over her face.

"What am I doing in your room?" _Kami-sama__! Maybe it wasn't him who did something to __me__ but in fact __me who did something to him!_

"Sleeping?"

"J-Just sleeping?" she squeaked.

"Did you have something else in mind?" he asked with another smirk.

"No! I mean, no! It's just … you know … and …," she trailed off, substituting her unsaid words with vague hand motions.

Kagome huffed when Sesshoumaru quirked his eyebrow at her. She didn't like it when he was amused at her expense.

Then in a soft, almost surprised voice, she said, "Hey, I'm still wearing my nightclothes."

_Took you long enough to figure that out Kagome, _thought Sesshoumaru.

"We didn't do anything, right?"

"You sound disappointed, Kagome."

"I do not!" she said indignantly, throwing a pillow at him.

He dodged and the pillow landed with a thump on the floor. A small smile made its way to his lips.

Sliding across the bed, Sesshoumaru gathered Kagome, quilt and all, into his arms.

Looking her in the eye, he whispered, "Kagome, understand this. This Sesshoumaru will never force you to do anything that you are not ready for."

The ebony haired young woman nodded, feeling a little bit guilty that she had doubted him for a moment. She should have known that the Taiyoukai was much more honorable than to take advantage of her like that.

Another much louder clap of thunder startled her and she jumped slightly. Two seconds later, the door to Sesshoumaru's bedroom was flung open with the intruder making a beeline for the large bed in the center of the room.

"Rin! What's the matter?" asked Kagome anxiously as she hugged the obviously terrified little girl to her.

"Rin … Rin …."

"She's afraid of thunder," explained Sesshoumaru.

Kagome nodded as she made soothing patterns with her hand on the girl's back. She had never been afraid of thunder but she recalled seeing her mother do this to Souta, her younger brother, whenever the thunder frightened him. Gradually, Rin calmed down enough to burrow herself under the quilt with Kagome's shoulder as her pillow.

Just as both adults thought she had fallen asleep once more, Rin's head shot up and she looked curiously at the young woman holding her.

"Kagome, why are you in daddy's bed?" she asked innocently.

"I, er, you see –"

"Kagome is afraid of thunder too, just like you, Rin."

Kagome was tempted to sigh in relieve even though she didn't think that lying to the young girl was a very good thing to do. But hey, it was a white lie, so it was the lesser evil, right?

"Oh," was all Rin said.

Then she wrapped her small arms around Kagome's neck and imitating what Kagome did to her a few moments ago, she said, "Don't worry, Kagome. Daddy is very strong. He can protect us."

"I'm sure he can, Rin."

Beside her, Sesshoumaru smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

oOo

Inuyasha stared at the demon before him with an incredulous expression on his face. The puppy dog ears on top of his head were twitching ever so slightly.

"You're kidding me right?"

"No! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Oi! How do you expect me to believe something like this?" he shouted, giving the youkai a hard knock on the head.

At the same time, the door opposite them opened and a nurse poked her head out.

"Gentlemen, please! This is a hospital," she admonished sternly.

"Sorry," mumbled Hachi as the nurse retreated into the room once again.

In a lower voice, the hanyou asked, "You're telling the truth right? That guy in there is the one who's been giving me all those information regarding Naraku?"

"Yes," said Hachi wearily. "He's actually working against Naraku, not for him. Miroku's after the Shikon no Tama, you see. Wants to return it to the Shikon Miko."

"The Shikon Miko? Who's that?"

"The Taiyoukai's woman."

Golden eyes widened. "You sure?"

"Of course, you dimwit! Danna told me himself!"

Inuyasha was silent for a few moments as he processed all that he had just heard from the raccoon demon. He was still having a tough time believing that a man working for Naraku was actually the one giving him the information. The one he thought to be the informant was merely a messenger of sorts.

"Damn. Sesshoumaru must be told immediately."

Hachiemon rolled his eyes.

"That's why I'm telling you all this, idiot!"

Inuyasha let out a low growl.

oOo

"Now, the two of you must promise to be good alright?"

"Yes, Kagome!" they chorused.

"Keh! It's just for an hour, how much trouble can two kids get in an hour?"

"You have no idea, Inuyasha," replied Kagome.

"You're just being paranoid." Then under his breath, he muttered, "Women."

Unfortunately for him, Kagome heard that and gave him a good smack on the head.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Listen! They're my charges and if something happens to them, Sesshoumaru will have my head!"

"Oh come on, he won't. I know him."

"Yeah, right," she replied with a roll of her bright sapphire eyes.

Stooping down so that she's at eye level with the two children, she said, "Now, what did I just tell you?"

"No talking to strangers, no accepting candy from strangers, no running away from Inuyasha no matter how mean he is - OW! KAGOME, INUYASHA HIT ME!" Shippou wailed, paws clutching the top of his head where the hanyou had hit him.

"Oi, brat, watch your mouth!"

"Inuyasha! How many times do I have to tell you that you do not hit the kids!"

"He's not a kid! He's older than you are!"

"But he's still a child according to demon terms!"

"Keh!" he huffed, folding his arms together and glaring at the fox kit.

"Shippou, calling Inuyasha mean wasn't very nice. Apologize now," said Kagome gently but firmly.

Still sniffling, he mumbled, "Sorry, Inuyasha."

"Okay, I have to go now. Take care, all of you, and listen to Inuyasha while I'm gone. I'll try not to be too long. Inuyasha, don't bully them."

"Keh, just go already."

"Bye Kagome!" the two children called out.

With one last wave, Kagome disappeared around the corner of a large building that was part of the university she attended.

"Okay kids, let's go somewhere. I don't want to hang around here," said Inuyasha.

"Uncle Inu, can we go and have some ice-cream while we wait?" asked Rin, her large brown eyes gazing up expectantly at the silver-haired hanyou.

"Of course. I know a place with really great ice-cream around here. Follow me," he said.

The identical grins on both their faces were wide enough to rival that of the Cheshire cat's.

However, neither child noticed the appearance of the smirk on Inuyasha's face or the way his gold colored eyes flashed ruby red as he led them towards his car.

_And so the girl __falls into__ my hands. How easy, just like taking candy from a baby. And the baby's name is __Kawamura __Sesshoumaru_

Silently, he chuckled.

oOo

Happily, she strolled down the corridor towards the entrance where they had promised to meet. Her results were out and to her utmost delight; she had managed to score rather well for every paper, even the ones that she disliked.

Kagome skipped down the steps and looked around for a glimpse of either Inuyasha or the children. She saw no one who resembled them even remotely.

_Oh well, __Inuyasha__ probab__ly didn't want to wait here like a good little puppy and took them somewhere for lunch._

Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down on the steps to wait for the trio's appearance. Fishing out her phone from her bag, she placed a call to Sesshoumaru, intending to share the good news with him.

"The number you have dialed is not available. Please try again later."

_Hmm … perhaps he's in a meeting. __Nevermind__, I'll just tell him__ at home__ later._

---

---

Sapphire eyes cast another glance at the watch on her wrist. Thirty minutes, she had been sitting here waiting for them for thirty whole minutes and counting. Squinting slightly at the bright sunlight, she looked out towards the road.

Still, there was no sign of them.

_Inuyasha__, where the hell are you?_

Flipping open her phone, she dialed the puppy-eared hanyou's number once more.

"The number you have dialed is not-"

Kagome sighed as she flipped her phone shut. She lost count how many times she had heard that annoying message.

The sapphire eyed young woman hung her head and let out another sigh. Not only could she not contact Inuyasha, but Sesshoumaru too was unreachable. She only knew because she had been trying to contact the demon lord to see if he knew of his younger brother's whereabouts.

It was then that the thought that something bad had befallen them occurred to her and she gasped.

_Oh no! What if they're in an accident or … or …__ attacked or… __Kami-sama__! Let them be alright! Please, please let nothing bad happen to them!_

The sound of tires screeching to a stop in front of her snapped her out of her thoughts. Kagome looked up to see the familiar chili red sports car that she knew belonged to Inuyasha. Yet, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was very wrong somewhere.

_He wasn't__ driving this car this morning._

Before her thoughts could progress any further, Inuyasha was already standing before her and hauling her up to her feet.

"Come on, get in the car now!"

"What? What happened, Inuyasha?" she asked, confused.

The frantic note that was evident in his voice coupled with what she could only label as fear in his golden eyes scared her. This was the first time she had seen Inuyasha in such a state. Something must have happened and by the looks of it, it hadn't been anything nice.

"Sesshoumaru. He's been attacked by Naraku."

Kagome gasped and shook her head. It seemed too bizarre to be true. Sesshoumaru was the strongest demon, right? And strongest meant undefeatable, right?

"No," she whispered. "Impossible. Where is he?"

"In the hospital. Naraku left before I could get there. We have to hurry; Sesshoumaru's lost a lot of blood and wouldn't stop asking for you."

She didn't need to be told twice, hopping in the second she heard that Sesshoumaru is in the hospital. Inuyasha sped away at a speed that would have earned him quite a few tickets from the traffic police.

Trees and buildings flew by, but she paid them no notice, her thoughts focused only on her Taiyoukai. Worry gnawed relentlessly at her and she prayed to whichever god that was listening to spare her beloved's life.

When they hit the highway however, she knew that something wasn't right. The hospital was supposed to be in the opposite direction!

"Inuyasha, where are we going? Aren't we going to the hospital?"

He turned to look at her, a smirk on his face.

"Whoever said that I'm Inuyasha?"

Her sapphire eyes widened as the one she thought was Inuyasha transformed before her very eyes into someone else with long, dark hair, pale skin and glowing red eyes.

"Wh-Who are you?" she stammered, shrinking as far from him as possible.

"Onigumo Naraku. Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lovely Kagome."

Kagome felt the blood in her veins run cold.

"Naraku," she whispered.

oOo

* * *

A/N: I have a confession to make. I know I said that I'd fnish this story before January 2008 but looks like I can't. You can all blame my laziness for that. There are still a few more (3 or 4 perhaps; I'm not too sure myself) chapters before this story ends. Anyway, have a good year everyone. May the coming year be better than the last.


	25. Petal 25

A/N: Classes have started and my lecturers think that I have 48 hours in a day so they piled truckloads upon truckloads of work on me. Sigh. My most humble apologies but updates are going to get less frequent from now onwards. But you guys will still be hanging around, right?

:: begins to blink puppy dog eyes::

Inspiration for a couple of scenes in this chapter came from episodes 9 and 164 of the Inuyasha as well as The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and gang is not mine. Neither is The Lord of The Rings. I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction if I could write an epic like LOTR, now would I? I'd be writing my own book(s)! And people would be writing fanfiction of my stories, not the other way around.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

"Damn you, Sesshoumaru. What's your problem?"

"This Sesshoumaru will not lower himself to help a traitor."

"Since when did he betray you, huh? As far as I know, he was the one who provided us with information regarding Naraku and his plans all along. That's not betrayal."

Sesshoumaru felt some of his patience ebb. The stupidity of his younger sibling was really something. How Inuyasha managed to become such a good spy was beyond him.

"If he can betray Naraku, he can easily betray us."

"He won't! Danna won't! He's not like that! Please, Sesshoumaru-sama, please save my master. He's only working for Naraku because he wanted the jewel. Danna is not a bad person. Please save him, Sesshoumaru-sama."

His answer was brusque and left no room for future argument.

"No."

"I beg you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the poor tanuki youkai implored, falling down on his knees and bowing so low that his forehead touched the ground at the Taiyoukai's feet.

The inuyoukai did not even give him a second glance as he stepped around him to leave the room.

"Remove yourselves now; this Sesshoumaru has a meeting to attend."

Inuyasha let out a low growl. Even after so many centuries, his elder sibling was still as merciless as ever.

"Come on, Hachi, get up. There's no use in begging that cold-hearted bastard. I'll help you find a way even if he won't."

Sesshoumaru ignored the words that were obviously meant for him as he let the door slide shut behind him. Was it wrong for him to deny help to one who had no loyalty whatsoever?

_No. __Besides, he was the one who had kidnapped Kagome_Yes, Fujisawa Miroku was lucky that he had been feeling compassionate enough not to take seek the man out in the hospital and help him move on to the afterlife a little sooner than he was supposed to.

Briskly, he turned down the corridor and towards the meeting room, the soles of his patent leather shoes tapping rhythmically against the carpeted floor.

oOo

One slender hand pushed open the cream colored door as the other wrapped itself loosely around the hilt of the sword that hung on his waist, hidden by the long trench coat he was wearing.

The occupants of the room jumped up at his sudden entrance, one fearful and the other bristling with fury. It really was a good thing he had decided to mask his presence and his scent. There was no knowing what the hanyou would do if he had sensed him here.

_Perhaps create a commotion__ that included demolishing the entire building__ just to have him removed, _he thought.

"What are you doing here, you bastard? Come to see if he's dead yet? Well, you came just in time. He just died. Are you happy now?" snarled Inuyasha.

True enough; the machine beside the bed that was used to measure a patient's heartbeat was now emitting a single continuous sound, a sound he was sure none in the room wanted to hear.

"This Sesshoumaru need not explain anything to you, little brother."

His amber eyes could already see the ugly pall-bearer imps crawling up the man's rapidly cooling body, no doubt trying to take his soul away. The grasp on his sword tightened.

In one swift move, he pulled it out of its sheath.

To both Hachiemon and Inuyasha, it looked as if Sesshoumaru was prepared to mutilate the body of the deceased man. Inuyasha called his elder half-brother every foul name he knew as Hachi fell to his knees, mouth wide-open in shock.

Ignoring Inuyasha, he slashed the sharp blade through the bodies of the imps, killing every one of them with a single stroke before anyone could blink.

The heavy silence in the room was broken when the machine emitted a loud, strong beep.

Miroku's chest began rising and falling steadily. The aura of death that had previously enshrouded him like a heavy veil was now gone, having vanished without a trace.

Sesshoumaru slid his sword back into its sheath and walked out without another word. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Inuyasha's mouth hanging open in shock, an expression that was closely mirrored by the tanuki youkai beside him.

Hachiemon recovered himself more quickly than Inuyasha and ran out after the Taiyoukai.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The inuyoukai stopped in his tracks but kept his back towards the tanuki youkai.

"Thank you for saving Master Miroku, Sesshoumaru-sama. We will be forever in your debt."

Sesshoumaru resumed his walk towards the exit, his long trench coat flowing behind him.

oOo

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he registered something with a lot of legs crawling up his forearm. He brushed it away before rolling onto his side, his chubby cheek dropping down to meet the grimy floor.

Just as he was about to doze off, he felt that annoying thing crawl up his arm once more. Grumbling to himself, he brushed it off impatiently before sitting up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Kagome …" he called out as he usually did every time he woke up.

But this time, no sweet voice answered him.

"Kagome," he called out, this time a little louder, thinking that she hadn't heard him the first time around.

Still there was no answer.

He opened his eyes, having rubbed the last remaining traces of sleep from his eyes.

_Where am I?_

Dull grey slabs of rough stone made up the floor and the three walls. Before him, where a fourth wall should have been, were metal bars that resembled those in a prison cell. Overhead, a naked bulb hung, its orange light making the room appear more sinister than it really is.

Something rustled in the corner near him and he turned to find Rin sitting up with a dazed expression on her face. Immediately, he scrambled over to her.

"Rin!"

"Shippou?"

She rubbed her eyes and looked around, puzzled being her most prominent expression.

"Where are we, Shippou? Where is Uncle Inu?"

"I don't know, Rin. I just woke up."

The young girl shivered. She didn't like this place. It was cold and dirty, and it reminded her of the back alleys that she had to hide in when she was running away from the bad people before Kagome saved her.

Shippou noticed her shivering so he scooted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders like his father sometimes did to him when he was cold and without a jacket.

"Are you cold, Rin?"

She shook her head. "Rin … Rin is scared. Rin don't like this place."

"I don't like this place too, Rin," he said.

They sat in silence until her soft voice spoke up once more.

"Why did Uncle Inu bring us here?"

"I don't know, Rin."

It baffled him when he thought about it. Why would Inuyasha bring Rin to a place that could only be called a dungeon? He knew that the half-demon loved Rin very much so it made no sense for him to put her here. And also, although the hanyou had never been particularly chummy with him, he was fairly certain that Inuyasha would not put him in a place like this. Unless he wanted to face Kagome's wrath, that is.

Could it be that someone else brought them here?

"Do you remember what happened today, Rin?"

The dark haired girl frowned.

"We went to Kagome's school with Uncle Inu and … and then … erm … Uncle Inu said he'll take us to eat ice-cream and … and … I don't remember."

"Yeah, me too. I can't remember anything after that either."

Shippou couldn't shake off the feeling that it was someone else who brought them here and not Inuyasha.

"Maybe … it wasn't Inuyasha," he said softly.

Now it was Rin's turn to be confused, having no idea as to what the little fox demon was talking about.

"We have been caught by bad guys, Rin."

"But Uncle Inu will not let bad guys take us away!" she cried.

"I think that it wasn't Inuyasha but someone else who looks like Inuyasha," he said although he didn't really believe it himself.

"There are bad guys who look like Uncle Inu?"

"Maybe."

With demons, it wasn't all that difficult. Especially for kitsune demons like him, looking like Inuyasha would be a piece of cake. If that was the case, he wanted to kick himself for not having seen through the demon's illusion spell.

Beside him, Rin shivered again.

"Sh-Shippou, did the bad guys take Kagome too?"

"I don't know. I hope not." _I really hope not._

"I want daddy. And Kagome," she said softly, her voice trembling a little as a small tear slid down her cheek.

_I want them too._

But hearing Rin sniffling beside him, he cast those thoughts away and decided that he would be brave. After all, he's a big boy now and big boys don't get scared. Besides, he's the only one who can protect Rin if their captors came again.

"Don't cry, Rin. I'm sure Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome are looking for us. And if the bad guys come, I'll protect you so don't cry," he said gently, trying his best to comfort her.

Rin nodded, before wiping the tear away and giving him a small smile.

oOo

A faint tapping sound in the distance reached his ears. Raising his head from where it was pillowed on his knees, he turned towards the sound.

The heavy footsteps plodded closer, the tread so heavy that even Rin could hear it.

"Someone is coming, Rin," he whispered. It was a demon, a boar youkai, if he wasn't mistaken, but Rin didn't have to know that.

True enough, the minute the words left his young lips, a large, hulking demon with two short tusks on his face appeared, separated from the two children only by the metal bars.

Beside him, he heard Rin's short gasp and felt her shift closer to him.

The demon removed a metal key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole, turning it with a clang before pushing the creaky door open.

"Oi, brats, here's your food," he said, setting down two wooden bowls in the middle of the cell.

Neither child moved from their spot in the corner despite their stomachs growling loud enough to wake the dead.

"What, did ya want me to feed ya? I'm not ya goddamned nanny!" he bellowed and in the little space, his loud voice seemed to echo.

He stomped forward, intent on dragging them to the food when he suddenly found himself surrounded by dozens of large, wailing brown colored mushrooms. The fact that the mushrooms were bouncing up and down like rubber balls did not help things.

Perplexed couldn't even begin to describe what the youkai felt. The high-pitched wailing was irritating him beyond anything. Grunting angrily, he hit the nearest mushroom with his fist causing the two beside it to retaliate by head-butting his legs. He kicked them away, only to have four more head-butting him simultaneously.

The stream of mushrooms that were attacking him was endless. It seemed like every time he had managed to get one off his back, he would find two more in its stead. Around him, the other mushrooms pressed closer, all the while wailing like a bunch of banshees.

In the confusion, the boar demon had conveniently forgotten that he had left the door open; a fact that Shippou wasted no time in exploiting.

"Crawl towards the door, Rin," Shippou whispered.

Silently, both children crawled the short distance towards the open door under the cover provided by the mushrooms.

As soon as he was through, Shippou wasted no time in pulling the door shut and locking it, taking the key with him.

"Come on, let's go," he said, grabbing her hand and running.

The boar youkai was about to kick yet another mushroom when suddenly every single one of them disappeared, leaving behind an eerie silence.

A leaf fluttered down before him to join a handful of its comrades on the floor. It was then that the demon realized that the captives had escaped.

oOo

Kagome opened her eyes groggily, conscious of the dull, throbbing ache at the back of her neck. She tried to touch it but found it impossible with her hands tied behind her back. Squirming and twisting every which way, she managed to push herself up so that she was sitting instead of lying on her side.

_Ugh … stupid bastard hit me and tied me up. Why bother tying me up when he had already knocked me out? Bastard, _she thought as she looked around.

The room, with its sliding shoji door and tatami mats, was pretty spacious, almost as large as the room she occupied in Sesshoumaru's penthouse apartment. Unfortunately, it was as bare as it was spacious, with nothing except the futon she was currently sitting on.

Sighing, she stared at the whitewashed wall opposite her, wondering how on earth she managed to get herself into a situation like this.

_Right, __Naraku__ pretended to be __Inuyasha__, something I managed to overlook. Stupid Kagome! Stupid, stupid, stupid! And you call yourself a __miko._

She growled, angry at herself for falling into such a simple trap. She should have known that something was wrong when the half-demon named Naraku who was pretending to be Inuyasha turned up with a different car and began spouting that nonsense about Sesshoumaru getting hurt.

_Stupid Kagome!_

Come to think of it, there was a very high possibility that it wasn't even Inuyasha who came to pick them up in the morning. Kagome froze at the thought. _Does that mean he's also got both __Rin__ and __Shippou?_

Pulling her legs up, she banged her forehead on her kneecaps. _Stupid, stupid Kagome. _She would've preferred the much harder wall but since she couldn't stand up now, her knees were her second best option.

_If I get out of here, __Sesshoumaru__ is so going to kill me. I'd much rather die at __Sesshoumaru's__hand than__at __Naraku's__. Who knows what that __-_

The sound of the shoji door being slid open scattered her thoughts.

She turned towards it and scowled before returning her gaze to the blank wall once more.

"Not happy to see me, Kagome?"

"Unless you drop dead this instant, Naraku."

"Now, now, Kagome, I'll have you know that your life, as well as the girl and the fox kit's, is in my hands. It would do you no good to anger me," he said smoothly, as he kneeled down before her.

Her eyes widened and she recoiled back in horror. _He has __Rin__ and __Shippou__ … _

Naraku smiled, a sight that sent involuntary shivers down her spine.

"Don't worry; they're being taken very good care of."

"What do you want, Naraku?" she hissed.

"You, my dear. I want you," he said, in a low voice, his hand reaching out for her cheek.

She flinched.

Naraku chuckled before grasping her chin roughly with his hand.

"You are the reincarnation of Kikyo, the Shikon Miko. I want you to break the spell put upon the jewel."

"Never," Kagome spat.

"You have spirit. I like that. Let's see how long you can last before you break."

"I'd like to see you try," she replied defiantly.

The hanyou chuckled once more.

Placing a hand on her knee, he leaned closer until their noses were almost touching. Kagome would have moved were it not for the hand grasping her chin that was keeping her head still.

"My pleasure. Do you know that you're very lovely, Kagome?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

The hand that was on her knee began moving up her bare thigh slowly. Kagome moved her legs away but that did nothing to deter him. If anything, he only chuckled more in amusement before continuing with his groping of her.

_Damn, of all days to wear a skirt. That's it! I'm sticking to jeans from now on._

"Such soft, smooth skin, Kagome," he murmured.

"Get your hands off me, Naraku," she growled.

"I thought that you enjoy being handled by demon males, Kagome," he said, "Better than the human ones, don't you think?"

Kagome squirmed again, trying in vain to move herself further away as his hand moved even higher.

"Shut up Naraku."

"I only speak the truth, or have you forgotten about your demon lover, the inuyoukai Sesshoumaru? I'm sure you're wishing for him to show up right now and save you. Tell me, do you really think that he will come?"

She glared at him.

"Yes he will. He will rescue me, I know it."

"You're a miko and he's a Taiyoukai. What makes you think that he will come for you? Love? Do you honestly believe that he loves you? Love is a human emotion, my dear Kagome. Demons, full-demons like Sesshoumaru, are not capable of love."

"Demons are very capable of loving another being. Only you can't. Oh and for the record, Sesshoumaru loves me."

Naraku laughed.

"How naïve you are, my dear Kagome. I've known Sesshoumaru since the Sengoku Jidai and he has always hated humans. He may not loathe humans so much now but that doesn't erase the fact that you are just one of his many playthings. He will never love you."

"He isn't like you, Naraku. Sesshoumaru is the most honorable demon I've ever known. He respects women and will never toy with them." _Not when he __told me__ that he'd wait for me and not force me into anything._

Naraku's ruby red eyes met her sapphire ones.

"Was he the one who told you that?" he asked. The hand that was on her cheek moved downwards, past her neck and over her shoulder, steadily.

With a bit more effort, Kagome managed to push herself backwards away from him, saying, "I don't need him to tell me something I can see for myself."

Once more, the hanyou threw his head back and laughed.

"You truly are an innocent miko. Do you have any idea how many females have believed themselves to be loved by Sesshoumaru, only to be cast away, used and broken, at the end? You are just one of the many, Kagome, one of the many," he purred.

She resolutely ignored him, firmly believing that the Sesshoumaru she fell in love with was not some youkai Don Juan. If she could, she would have brought her hands up to cover her ears, no matter how childish that action may seem.

Naraku watched her carefully, the gleam in his eyes predatory. For some reason or other, he wanted the petite human miko before him not only for the sake of breaking the Shikon no Tama's curse.

He wanted her, craved both her body and her soul. He wanted her at his mercy, wanted this pure creature begging at his feet before he broke her and showed her a life worse than death before throwing her back at her beloved Sesshoumaru.

_We'll see how much your __Sesshoumaru__ loves you then._

The hanyou chuckled, a mirthless sound that chilled her very bones.

A defenseless prey; that was what she felt like, sitting before him.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kagome steeled her nerves and willed herself to put on a brave front despite the unsettling feeling that rose in her at the look Naraku was giving her.

The half-demon looked like he was about to devour her whole.

In one fluid motion, the distance she had managed to put between them disappeared as he pounced forward to crush her lips with his own, his hand squeezing her breast roughly.

Automatically, Kagome's self-preservation instincts kicked in. She bit down on his lower lip so hard that it drew blood.

Naraku let out a snarl and raising his hand, he backhanded her so hard that she was sent sprawling into the corner. Blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth where she had accidentally bitten herself.

"Bitch!" he growled angrily, swiping away the blood on his lip with the back of his hand.

It was at that moment that the shoji door was flung open and a somewhat breathless demon burst in.

"Naraku-sama, the-the prisoners … they have escaped!"

Fixing his eyes on Kagome, he sneered and said, "Find them. You can do what you want to the girl, just don't kill her. I still need her."

"What about the boy, Naraku-sama?"

"Kill him," Naraku said with a sneer, his eyes focused on Kagome's face.

Kagome felt her heart drop at his words.

oOo

Rin turned her head to where the loud rattling of metal bars and strings of colorful words came from behind them.

"Don't look back, Rin. Keep running, we're almost there," said Shippou.

She nodded, trying to keep up with the kitsune who was scampering up the stone steps.

True enough, they finally reached the topmost step, both panting heavily as they peered out to the brightly lit hallway. There was no one in sight, thankfully. But now, they had to decide whether they were to go straight ahead or to the right.

_Okay, when in doubt, always follow your nose._

"Let's go, Rin," he said, taking her hand once more and began running down the hallway on their right. It smelled less foul than the hallway straight ahead.

Their little feet pounded on the wooden floorboards as they ran, two pairs of bright eyes looking for a door, any door that would lead them out of this place.

They turned another corner and came to a skidding halt. There before them stood a six-foot tall bear youkai with a sheathed katana strapped at his waist.

"Why, it looks like I've found the rats that have escaped from their cage."

Shippou immediately began bristling and growling as he placed himself between Rin and the bear demon.

"It's kitsune, idiot."

The youkai laughed.

"Does it matter? You're going to die like a rat anyway."

"Oh yeah? We'll see. Kitsune-bi!" he cried, throwing the blue flame at the demon and ignoring the fact that his opponent is much more powerful (and not to mention a whole lot bigger) than him. All that mattered to him was keeping Rin safe and getting her out of here, wherever here is.

The dark haired demon laughed as he side-stepped the ball of fire thrown at him.

"So you want to fight me? Are you that stupid, boy? Can you not see the difference in our power?"

"Shut up and fight, idiot!"

"Name's Tora, rat. Best remember the one who's going to kill you."

Shippou answered by sending another blue foxfire ball at him. It flew past the demon's ear, singeing the tip and some of the hair near it in the process.

Scurrying behind the demon as fast as he could, the kitsune kit managed to dodge the kick aimed at him. However, the demon only sneered.

"Your tricks won't work on me, rat."

Despite his towering frame, the demon was very agile, a fact that was made painfully obvious to Shippou when he found himself crashing into the wall that was a few meters behind him after receiving a sharp kick to the ribs he was pretty sure he had managed to avoid.

"SHIPPOU!" Rin cried, running to him, fear and worry evident in her large brown eyes.

"Ungh …" he groaned.

"Shippou! Shippou! Are you okay?"

"Yeah … I think so," he replied, blinking his eyes in an effort to get rid of the weird dancing colors that he was currently seeing. His back was hurting like crazy and so was his arm although he supposed that it was a good thing that his head felt just fine. _Thank __Kami__ for that._

The demon was strong, much stronger than him obviously, so unless he can outwit him, there is no way they'd be able to make it out alive. And if he cannot outwit a bear demon; he wouldn't be a kitsune youkai, now would he?

"Rin," he said softly, pulling out something from his pocket, "listen, Rin. Take this and throw it at the demon. Make sure he catches it with his hands."

The younger girl nodded as Shippou slipped a small, slightly rough pebble the size of her thumb into her palm before pushing himself to sit up with his uninjured arm to glare angrily at the approaching demon.

"Huh, it looks like the rat isn't dead yet."

Rin placed herself in front of the fox cub, shielding him with her small body.

"Don't come near Shippou!"

"Oh, so the little rat has a little rat girlfriend," he sneered before taking another step closer.

"Go away!" she cried, throwing the pebble at him.

The bear demon named Tora laughed as he deftly caught it in his large paw just as it was about to hit his head.

"You think that this little thing here can hurt me?"

"No, it won't," Shippou agreed. "But it'll keep you from chasing after us."

Softly, he began muttering a spell under his breath.

There was a flash of bright light and suddenly, the youkai found himself face down on the wooden floor, his hand pinned to the ground by a heavy boulder that had what looked like a sutra on top of it.

"Why you little rat! I'll get you for this!" he snarled.

With a little help from Rin, Shippou stood up shakily.

"Heh, so my little trick worked on you. Come on Rin, let's go," he said, grabbing Rin's hand and began to jog away. His back still hurt but he couldn't risk staying here and getting caught once more.

When they reached what he deemed a safe distance away, he stopped and turned around.

"Watch this, Rin."

Shippou mumbled something and like before, another flash appeared around the huge boulder.

Rin saw nothing except for the flash but she was curious as to why Shippou suddenly began giggling and the demon started shouting more angrily than before.

"Shippou, what happened?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I just made the boulder heavier, that's all."

The minute the words left his lips, an ear-splitting crack sounded followed by what was possibly the loudest crash either child had ever heard. It sounded as if the entire building was falling down around them.

They heard the bear demon yell for a moment before it was cut short abruptly. At the spot where the boulder (and demon) used to be, only a large hole remained.

Rin looked at the gaping hole wide-eyed, having never seen such a large, gaping hole before, and would still be staring at it if Shippou hadn't tugged on her hand to get her running once more. They did have an escape to complete, after all.

oOo

Sesshoumaru let out a sigh as he maneuvered his car through the busy streets of downtown Tokyo towards his apartment. He wanted nothing more than to get home and have a nice warm bath to wash away the hospital's antiseptic smell that was clinging stubbornly onto his person.

_And perhaps, have lunch with Kagome, _he thought as he glanced at the clock on the dashboard. _Speaking of Kagome …_

The young woman had mentioned something about going back to the university to check on her exam results at breakfast, just before he left for work. As usual, he had offered to drive her there but she would hear nothing of it. He really shouldn't have let her know that he had a meeting scheduled this morning.

Although, he supposed that it was just as well when she said she'll get Inuyasha to play driver.

_Inuyasha._

An image of the brash, foul-mouthed hanyou at the hospital entered his mind.

Dimly, he recalled that Inuyasha looked rather tired and his normally bright golden eyes looked somewhat blood-shot as if he hadn't had enough sleep the previous night. Also, he was positively reeking of the hospital scent, no doubt a result of his having spent the entire night there with the raccoon demon by the bed of the dying man. It looks like the short trip they took to his office this morning had done nothing to get rid of the irritatingly strong smell of disinfectants.

Sesshoumaru creased his eyebrows together in a frown. If Inuyasha had been in the hospital all this while, then there was no way Kagome could have gotten him to drive her to the university.

His frown deepened. He could only hope that she had not taken it into her head to go there on her own. There was no knowing what kind of danger could be lurking in wait out there.

oOo

Sesshoumaru stood alone in the elevator, his eyes watching the red digits that marked each floor on the panel like a hawk. He had no idea why but the closer he was to his apartment, the more uneasy he felt. Yet he couldn't put his finger on the source of this uneasiness.

The second the doors slid open, Sesshoumaru shot out like a silver streak. Something wasn't right; he could feel the presence of his kappa retainer somewhere in the apartment but not the presences of Kagome, Rin and fox cub.

The way he burst into the quiet apartment had nearly had Jaken keeling over and dying of a heart failure on the spot. Never before in his entire life as a retainer to the Kawamura family had he seen Sesshoumaru so agitated.

Amber eyes roved over the living room for something, anything that looked out of place. They found nothing.

"Where is Kagome?"

"M-My Lord, sh-she went out with I-Inuyasha this m-morning af-after breakfast. Th-The children went w-with them."

Sesshoumaru let out a growl. _Impossible! _Inuyasha could not possibly be in two places at the same time. Besides, there was no trace of the hanyou's scent in the apartment. In fact, there were no other scents besides those which belonged to the members of his household.

Through the open door behind him, a breeze brought the much too familiar scent of rotting flesh to his nose. He spun around so fast that some of his long silver hair whipped his face.

There, just a step beyond the doorway, stood a pale little girl dressed in a white kimono. In her white hair on either side of her head were two white blossoms and in her hands was a small, round mirror.

He recognized her, the little girl who had neither emotions nor a presence, having caught her trespassing his lands several times in the past. Apparently, the vile hanyou had created her - a void demon - several centuries ago from nothing at all.

The Taiyoukai did not know her name, or if she had one for that matter, but he didn't care. Children of the scum were not worthy of his attention.

Sesshoumaru fought the urge to wrinkle his nose in distaste at the scent that she carried. However, were it not for that unmistakable scent of Naraku's, he would never have detected her presence behind him.

Kanna took a step forward, her head inclined slightly towards the mirror in her hands.

Alert amber eyes watched her carefully. He knew better than to let his guard down around Naraku's child-like offspring.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as the silver surface of the demonic mirror rippled for a moment before a foggy image appeared in it.

It looked like the inside of a very old and very filthy dungeon cell. From the meager light the bulb in the cell gave out, Sesshoumaru could just make out a small form sprawled on the ground.

A small form that had hair the color of copper.

_Shippou._

He watched as the fox kit stirred and sat up, confusion evident in his large emerald eyes as he looked around. The kitsune must have seen something for he suddenly scrambled towards the corner.

Thin wisps of red began seeping into his amber eyes when he saw exactly what was in the dark corner.

_Rin._

The soft, dark locks of hair that she kept neat by lots of careful combing were wild and messy. Dirt streaked her round, angelic face. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide, not with bewilderment, but with fear.

Sesshoumaru let out a growl. _Naraku__ will pay for this!_

Then the image of the two children wavered and swirled before another image replaced it.

The dark dungeon was gone. He was now looking at a brightly lit, traditional Japanese room with shoji doors and tatami mats.

His breath hitched. Lying unconscious on the floor with bound hands and feet was his lovely Kagome, her ebony tresses fanned out beneath her.

_Kagome!_

Poisonous acid began collecting at the tips of his deadly claws. The urge to kill someone had never been stronger. Naraku was courting death when he tried to take what was under his protection.

Kagome's image disappeared as Kanna tucked the mirror close to her small body once more.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

"In Naraku-sama's fortress," she replied in a soft, monotonic voice.

Sesshoumaru frowned. There was something fishy about the whole affair. He couldn't shake off the feeling that Naraku wanted him to storm his fortress and hunt him down. But, knowing the hanyou, he could very well be walking into a trap if he did just that. It was just something that the half-demon would do.

"Naraku-sama will be waiting," said Kanna before she vanished into thin air.

Sesshoumaru bared his fangs and growled, the sound so loud that the thick walls vibrated slightly. Trap or not, he's going to take back what was his and deal the insolent half-demon the punishment that he so rightly deserved.

_Kagome, don't worry, this __Sesshoumaru__ is coming._

oOo

* * *

A/N: This chapter was by far the hardest to write. (I blame writers' block and having to read through loads of boring textbooks). So, please have pity on a poor, idea-starved author and leave her a review? 


	26. Petal 26

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is still not mine.

A/N: I am back, that's all I'm going to say. Enjoy D

* * *

_Italics denote thoughts._

oOo

She was running, running away from someone – a dog demon, to be exact - who was intent on hunting her down. Her breathing was labored and her legs felt heavier by the minute.

Heavy footsteps pounded the earth, drawing ever closer; her pursuer was catching up. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself to run even faster.

As she ran, she could hear long, drawn out howls coming from the one chasing her. A shiver ran down her spine at a particularly chilling howl. Not stopping to look back, she continued to run blindly ahead even though she hardly knew where she was headed to in the all encompassing darkness of the forest.

All she knew was that she had to get away from him. Fast.

The razor-like leaves of the bamboo plants around her whipped at her face and the twigs on the bushes nearby scratched her bare legs so hard that they left many a red welt behind.

Still, she continued to run despite the stinging pain that was inflicted upon her.

Suddenly, she tripped over a protruding tree root and soon found herself falling down face first. However, darkness enveloped her before any part of her could hit the ground.

There wasn't even time for her to scream.

Kagome opened her eyes with a gasp and found herself lying on her back on the ground. She remembered falling after tripping over the tree root and then … nothing.

Pushing herself up from the damp ground, she cast a wary glance at her surroundings. They looked unfamiliar to her, being markedly different compared to the forest she was in previously.

_This looks like an encampment, _she thought as she surveyed the white tents before her.

Suddenly, a loud cry followed by several others broke the silence. Before she knew it, Kagome was up and running towards the source of the cry.

Around her, she could see men rushing forward towards a dark silhouette at the edge of the camp, an assortment of weapons ranging from spears to swords clutched in their hands.

It was then that the moon broke free from the dark clouds overhead to shine down upon the figure. A gasp escaped Kagome.

The tall, silver haired inuyoukai stood just inside the perimeter of the encampment, dressed in a pristine white kimono she had never seen on him before. The same can be said about the decidedly heavy looking metal armor covering his chest and the yellow and purple sash around his waist.

In his right hand was a long sharp katana that glinted blue where the moonlight touched it. A trail of dark vermillion slid down the length of the sword. She did not need to have seen it with her own eyes to know that it was the same blade used to detach completely the head his left hand was currently holding up from the motionless body lying at his feet.

The men, no, soldiers, charged forward but Kagome stood rooted to the spot, unable to move even an inch.

A smirk that can only be described as malevolent appeared on his lips. Greenish liquid dripped from the demon's claws, hissing when they came into contact with the ground.

In a flash, those very same claws were buried in a man's unprotected neck. Bright red blood spurted out when his head was wrenched away from his body. Two others running close behind the first man had their heads clawed off in an eerily similar fashion.

Sounds of ripping flesh and screams of agony filled the night. Blood was awash on the ground where the youkai stood.

Kagome watched in dumbstruck horror as each and every charging man was struck down by the tall demon. She wanted to scream at the soldiers to stop sacrificing themselves, that this was futile and that they should just save themselves by running away, but no sound escaped her.

The silver haired demon had already decimated half the troop's ranks without having moved a step from where he stood. And he looked poised to do much more than that.

Some soldiers were beginning to look afraid and started backing off but at the command of their leader, they charged forward once more.

_No … no … stop this … stop … stop killing them … stop … stop …_

"SESSHOUMARU STOP!"

In an instant all eyes were on her; the youkai's especially were boring directly into her own. She had always known Sesshoumaru to be an intimidating demon but she had never known him to be this intimidating.

He took a step forward, his crimson gaze never leaving her eyes.

"You dare order this Sesshoumaru, wench?"

His voice was not the warm, husky baritone she knew and loved. It was the cold, chilling tones of a murderer who killed without batting an eyelid, without a second thought.

"S-Sesshoumaru?" Kagome whispered, uncertainty evident in her voice.

In a flash, the distance between them had disappeared and his hand was wrapped around her neck. Effortlessly, he lifted her up so that she was at his eye level.

"Do not presume to be so familiar with this Sesshoumaru, wench. You are nothing but filthy human," he hissed. Thin rivulets of bright crimson ran down her neck as the tips of his deadly claws pierced her smooth skin in warning.

A strangled gasp escaped her. Her two smaller hands clutched at his magenta striped wrist and tried to pull his hand away from her neck.

But it was in vain.

"Sess-"

"Die."

With that, the sharp blade in his right hand plunged directly into her abdomen.

--

--

Kagome shot awake, drops of cold sweat clung to her forehead as her chest heaved with her erratic pants. There was nothing where a gaping hole and lots of blood should have been.

She gulped in huge mouthfuls of air in a bid to calm her racing heart. _It was just a dream, _she told herself, _just a bad dream._

The phrase was repeated over and over like a mantra as she laid her head back against the pillow once more. Yet it did nothing to dispel the disturbing images she saw in her extremely vivid dream.

Especially the image of Sesshoumaru when he plunged his katana into her.

He was smiling.

oOo

Kagome had no idea how long had she been sitting there with her knees drawn up to her chin and her back against the wall, staring at the hard wooden floor. After the nightmare last night, she could hardly sleep a wink without her mind being assaulted by bloody images.

The door slid open noisily and a large hand pushed yet another bowl of plain white rice into the room before sliding the door shut again. Still, Kagome remained where she was, not bothering to acknowledge the food even though her stomach was growling out its protest loudly. Naraku could have poisoned it for all she knew.

She figured that a whole day must have gone by for this was the fourth bowl of rice left in the room for her. Closing her eyes, she bit on her lower lip that had begun to quiver.

At least one day had gone by with no sight of Sesshoumaru. She let out a silent sigh.

_Where are you, Sesshoumaru? Will you be coming … for me?_

Kagome tried to imagine Sesshoumaru's gentle smile, one reserved only for her, as he gave her his quiet reassurance. But all she could see was a smiling Sesshoumaru with red eyes as he stabbed her with his demonic katana.

It was so real that she could almost feel the pain the moment the blade ripped through her flesh. She let out a gasp.

_No! Sesshoumaru would never do this to me … _

The crimson eyed Sesshoumaru in her mind was smiling at her again.

… _would he?_

In a corner of her heart, the seed of doubt began to grow and take root.

A pair of red eyes lit up in undisguised mirth as they watched the ebony haired miko through the silver mirror held up before him by a little girl.

_Soon, my dear Kagome, _he thought to himself as the corner of his lips lifted into a smirk.

oOo

Strong hands pushed open the heavy mahogany doors that led into the mansion, startling the servant girl who was dusting a large antique vase in a corner of the large hall.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, w-welcome back!" she hurriedly squeaked out, bowing profusely although by then, the youkai in question was already nowhere to be seen.

The Taiyoukai strode briskly down the long hallway before going down a flight of steps, the soles of his shoes making a steady clicking sound against the cold polished marble as he headed towards the burgundy door that led into his private wine cellar.

Usually, he would have paused a while to check up on his wine collection, but not today. Instead, he continued to walk towards the back of the dimly lit cellar, stopping only when he reached the end of the room.

A tall shelf, built specifically for holding wine bottles, stood facing him.

A slender hand reached out and gently but firmly swung the shelf outwards to reveal an arched doorway cut into the gray stone wall. A few long strides later, he came upon a door made of the same gray stone identical to that the entire cellar was made out of.

The silver-haired inuyoukai calmly placed his palm upon the cold stone before suddenly releasing a sharp burst of youki.

The minute the thick slab of stone was hit by Sesshoumaru's unforgiving youki; the crescent moon carved deep into it began to glow a bright blue. Silently, it slid away to the side and granted him entrance into the chamber it guarded like a jealous lover.

The underground vault held a dank and somewhat musty smell to it for no one had been inside for the past century or so up until early this morning. Several old, bronze colored trunks sat in a corner with dust more than an inch thick collected upon their lids.

Disregarding the dust, Sesshoumaru lifted the lid of the trunk closest to him and began rummaging through its contents. Roughly he pushed aside silk garments and metal armor in search of the one object he returned to this place for.

The minute his palm met with the object's smooth wooden surface, he pulled it out of the depths of the trunk.

_Tokijin._

His golden gaze travelled down the length of the object in his hand, silently taking in the scabbard's good condition. Long fingers closed around the well-worn hilt of the sword and slid it out of its sheath. It appears that like its scabbard, the demonic sword could withstand the test of time just as well.

Firmly, Sesshoumaru grasped the sword, reveling in the feel of the hilt against his rough palm and the solid weight in his hand after more than a century of not holding it.

_It looks like this Sesshoumaru will have to call upon you once again, Tokijin._

oOo

Fifteen minutes later, the silver-haired inuyoukai emerged once more from the wine cellar looking very much different from when he had first entered.

Gone was the black trench coat, white shirt, black dress pants and shiny, black patent leather shoes.

Replacing them was a white silk haori with a red sakura pattern, a pair of white hakama pants and black leather boots. Covering his chest was a metal breastplate with a spiked pauldron protecting his left shoulder while a furry white pelt, which was actually a physical manifestation of his youki, covered his right.

Around his waist wound a sash of yellow and purple that held in place his two swords: the heavenly fang Tenseiga and the demonic sword Tokijin.

Just as he was about to reach the top of the stairs, something minuscule in size and with more than two pairs of legs landed gently on his cheek. Without a second thought, he reached up and slapped at the spot lightly.

Golden eyes stared down at the now somewhat flat-looking bug lying on his open palm.

_Myoga._

With a soft pop, Myoga, the flea demon and retainer to the Kawamura family ever since Sesshoumaru's father, the great Inu-no-Taisho; returned to his original shape and size.

"Ah! Sesshoumaru-sama! What a pleasant surprise! I thought the servant girls were making up stories when they said you had returned again but I guess I was wrong since you really are here. May I ask what are you up to wearing your armor? I have not seen you in this garb ever since forever!"

Sesshoumaru for the most part, ignored the tiny flea demon's incessant babbling as he strode up the steps and into the corridor, various plans and strategies forming in his mind. He was going to make sure that the spider hanyou paid dearly for daring to touch what was his.

"Myoga, inform Wada and Maeda that the Western Army needs their service once more. Tell them to round up as many soldiers as possible and to gather here by sundown."

"What about General Takani, Sesshoumaru-sama? Do I need to inform him as well?"

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment before answering.

"He has passed on."

The flea demon let out a squeak.

"B-But … When did this happen, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"About a month ago. He was killed by one of Naraku's men."

"Naraku … the hanyou is still alive? Is it him who we will be fighting against now?"

"Hn." Then as an afterthought, he added, "He has committed one too many atrocities against this Sesshoumaru."

Myoga nodded. That was enough information for now.

"Any other orders, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

In a brisk, business-like tone he was not unaccustomed to using, he said, "Send out messengers to the allies of the Western Lands. Remind them of our alliance and that it still stands in this age and day. Also, get this Sesshoumaru Naraku's exact location immediately. That will be all for now."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," replied Myoga as he hopped away rapidly.

Alone, Sesshoumaru continued on his way to his study.

Suddenly, his body tensed as his senses went on high alert. Someone – a demon, in fact - with very hostile intentions was about to intrude on his private property. In a flash, he rushed out to meet the would-be intruder.

Golden eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance when they fell upon the figure standing in the center of the garden.

At more than 7-feet tall, the black bear demon stood head and shoulders above him. However, Sesshoumaru was unfazed. He had battled against demons much larger and stronger than this bear without getting as much as a scratch on him.

Without hesitation, Sesshoumaru drew his sword and pointed it at the bear.

"Youkai, you are trespassing. Leave now."

The bear let out a loud growl.

"You must be the bastard Sesshoumaru. Prepare to die!"

With that, the demon charged forward with heavy, pounding footsteps, the tip of his own sword aimed at Sesshoumaru's heart.

Sesshoumaru smirked. Killing him would be too easy indeed.

oOo

Pale lavender eyes watched in amusement as a hundred low-level youkai swarmed the city streets. Horrified screams filled the air as everyone began running helter-skelter in a bid to save themselves from being eaten. Some braver ones – demons and hanyous, he believed them to be – were fighting back, fending off the demons with anything that came in handy.

However, it was the way the humans reacted to seeing such demons that amused him to no end.

Although demons and humans have co-existed for at least a century, those that mingle with the humans generally take on a more humanoid appearance. But, not all youkai can appear human.

Low-level demons like those currently on a terrorizing spree on the streets will never, in a thousand years, be able to look remotely like a human. They are usually found deep in the mountains, far removed from society.

More often than not, they serve as prey for higher-level demons looking to satisfy their natural killing instincts every once in a while.

The authorities don't care for it kept the number of low-level demons in check; they reproduced too quickly anyway. Just as long no one accidentally killed a human or another higher-level demon, they would not intervene. They understood how important it was for a demon to give in to their more demonic side on occasion.

No one wanted to deal with a demon gone crazy from bloodlust. It wasn't a pretty sight, to put it simply.

The sound of sirens wailing had Hakudoshi looking down from the top of the tall office building where he stood. _So the police have arrived, huh? What fun._

Gunshots rang out, adding to the already chaotic scene on the streets. The child-like humanoid youkai let out a gleeful chuckle when a youkai gobbled up the two policemen that had shot at it, crunching them the way one crunches peanuts.

The once very neat and tidy area now resembled a warzone. Blood, chunks of flesh and bones, and mangled corpses littered the ground, some belonging to the low-level demons he released.

_Oh, well, _he thought with a nonchalant shrug.

The hot midday sun beating down upon him was making him a little drowsy and he decided that it was time to leave. After all, his work here was done. It didn't matter to him whether or not the demons he released onto the streets survived, his job was only to let loose those demons and let them run rampant.

It was time to go. He was sure that there were other more important things to do than to supervise some mindless demons gone wild.

oOo

In a bright red car on the street below, an irate hanyou sat at the driver's seat while both his passengers tried to pacify him. Well, technically, only one passenger tried to pacify the driver for the other had decided to cower in a corner of the backseat after receiving a hard knock on the head from said driver.

Miroku looked out the window for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the span of ten minutes and asked, "Isn't there another way, Inuyasha?"

"Idiot. If there was one, do you think I'd still be here?" he growled before sounding his horn impatiently, causing the people on the sidewalk to send evil looks his way.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. Something must have happened for such a massive jam to occur here. We'll just have to wait it out."

"Keh, tell me about it," grumbled Inuyasha as he began another fresh round of cursing and honking. The middle-aged man in the dark blue car beside his shook his fist at him but Inuyasha being Inuyasha, ignored him with a roll of his eyes.

It was then that they felt it – the massive wave of jyaki coming towards them at a very high speed.

"Such strong jyaki. Impossible," muttered Miroku, his violet eyes darting around as he tried to locate the source of the youkai aura.

"What the hell …"

Amber eyes widened when the dark, gradually growing speck at the horizon revealed itself to actually be a horde of low-level demons. It didn't take long for shouts and screams to fill the air around them as the demons began attacking en masse.

Without a second thought, Inuyasha was out of the car, followed closely by Miroku.

The dog eared hanyou leapt over the stationary cars to meet the first of the demons head-on while Miroku ran as fast as his legs could carry him, dodging motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians.

"SANKON TESSOU!" cried Inuyasha as he slashed at a nearby youkai with his sharp claws.

Beside him, Miroku sent fuda after fuda towards the demons surrounding them, disintegrating those that had the misfortune to meet with them into dust. Where did he, the man who had just got out of the hospital, get those spell scrolls from, Inuyasha had no idea.

--

--

A good half an hour later, the number of low-level demons still on the streets had diminished considerably following the increase in the amount of people fighting them.

Besides Inuyasha and Miroku, other higher-level demons, half-demons as well as holy people from nearby shrines and temples have joined in the fight to eradicate them. Even humans without any holy power played a part, judging from the large number of police officers firing away at the demons with their guns.

However, more than once, Inuyasha found himself wishing that he had Tetsusaiga with him. Killing off this huge mass of demons would be as easy as pie with just one swing of his Tetsusaiga.

_And I wouldn't be covered in their blood from head to toe, _he grumbled to himself as he ripped apart an ugly, one-eyed demon with three legs using his blood-covered claws.

Miroku, on the other hand, longed for his trusty shakujo as he leaned against a nearby lamppost with his eyes closed and taking in some much needed breath. He had a feeling that had this kept up any longer; he would have run out of spell scrolls very soon.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Inuyasha land in front of him.

"Come on, let's go. Something weird is going on and we have to let Sesshoumaru know."

"Sure," replied Miroku amiably.

"Let me just get Hachiemon and we can leave. It's time that cowardly raccoon did something other than hide in the car."

"Keh, whatever but make it snappy."

oOo

The wooden shoji door slid open, and footsteps could be heard entering the room.

"The guards told me that you were not eating, my dear Kagome."

_Naraku._

Kagome ignored him, preferring instead to continue her staring competition with the wooden floorboard.

"Now, now, Kagome," said Naraku as he crouched before her, gently tilting her chin upwards. "This wouldn't do at all. You have to eat something. I can't have you dying of hunger here, now can I?"

"I'd rather die than to stay here another day," Kagome bit out angrily, turning her head away.

With the pad of his thumb, he caressed her smooth cheek before firmly grabbing her chin to make her face him once again.

"I can't let that happen, my dear girl. After all, I did promise Sesshoumaru that I'd take very good care of you."

Hope flashed through her blue eyes for a brief second. _Sesshoumaru!_

Naraku let out a laugh at the look on her face, earning himself a sharp glare from the ebony haired young woman.

"Come now, don't tell me you're still waiting for your dear Taiyoukai to come and rescue you?"

Patting her cheek, he continued, "I'd hate to burst your bubble my dear, but that sort of thing only happens in fairytales and this is hardly one, don't you think so, Kagome?"

"He will come for me, I know it," she replied stubbornly.

"And how sure are you? It's already been four days. In fact, in a few more hours, it's going to be five."

Kagome gasped. _Four days? Wasn't it only two? Or was it three?_

Inwardly, Naraku smirked as he watched Kagome furrow her brow while trying to work out the actual length of time she had spent here. In truth, it hadn't even been close to two days but he wasn't about to tell the girl that.

"Don't look so surprised, my dear. Time flies; don't they teach you that in school?" he asked, chuckling.

Kagome couldn't help the frown that formed on her face. _Could it really have been four days already? _

She had no idea. Naraku held her captive in a windowless room and with no time-telling device on her, she couldn't really tell for sure how many days and nights had gone by.

_Sesshoumaru, where are you?_

Once more, the image of a sword wielding Sesshoumaru entered her mind.

Before her, Naraku smirked once more as he gently caressed her smooth cheek. He knew just exactly what was running through her mind at the moment.

"He's a heartless killer. He will not come for you," Naraku said as he locked his blood red eyes with her blue ones.

"No. He's not. He will come."

"It's been four days. If he really cared for you, he would've been here on the first night itself. Sesshoumaru is an inuyoukai, tracking someone down is hardly impossible for a dog like him."

Kagome couldn't help but wonder at those words. _Sesshoumaru did not attempt to track me down at all? No. It cannot be. He cares for me. He will come and take me home._

"You are obviously not that important to him if he puts off your rescue in such a way," Naraku continued in the same low, hypnotizing tone.

"What a pity. A beautiful girl like you does not deserve to be replaced by a common whore and so soon too. But rest assured, Kagome. You may not be important to him but you are very important to me."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him.

"Common whore?" _What on earth is he talking about?_

Naraku let out a long sigh, an expression of sadness on his face.

"Let me show you the real reason why Sesshoumaru has not come for you," he said, holding up a round mirror to her face.

Kagome blinked twice at her own reflection that stared back at her. "Wha-"

Suddenly, the mirror's surface rippled gently, reminding Kagome of a lake on a breezy spring day before revealing an image in a setting that she is more than familiar with.

There on the large double bed of Sesshoumaru's bedroom was the inuyoukai himself and in his arms, a woman with short, dark hair that she did not recognize. With the sheets thrown back and barely covering their unclothed bodies, there was no mistaking the physical activity they were indulging in.

Kagome could only watch in undisguised repulsion as the woman wrapped her slender arms around his neck while he nuzzled hers. A large, clawed hand with magenta stripes on the wrist caressed the woman's thigh before sliding back to fondle her bottom.

Intimate could not even begin to describe the position that they were in.

As if trying to justify their intimacy, the woman pulled Sesshoumaru closer to her, if that was even possible considering the lack of space between their bodies, before kissing his lips hungrily. Sapphire eyes widened when Sesshoumaru responded in kind, lifting the woman's leg to wrap around his lean waist before pressing the lower half of his body against hers.

Kagome could take it no more. Tears stung at her eyes. This was much more than she bargained for.

"Stop," she whispered, shaking her head. "Stop. Please, no more."

The image disappeared, and the clear silver surface of the mirror returned. Yet whatever she had just seen still seemed to be playing vividly before her eyes.

"That was the hair youkai Yura," Naraku informed her quietly.

"I thought Sesshoumaru would've gone to some other demoness, but to go to that whore … Well, it's a little surprising but I don't suppose that this is the first time Sesshoumaru -"

"Shut up, Naraku. Shut up."

She had wanted to express it in a strong, commanding voice, but unfortunately, it came out in a whisper that sounded weak and confused even to her ears.

_Why Sesshoumaru? Why do you do that? What am I to you, Sesshoumaru?_

Shut up Naraku did not. He was having too much fun manipulating her thoughts and feelings. The seed of doubt had been planted in her mind already and with a little extra persuasion, the ebony haired miko would be under his absolute control.

"I know about the dream you had."

Kagome's eyes widened. _How could he …?_

"I can read minds, my dear. The dream you had of Sesshoumaru killing you merely represents what you are to him in real life – dispensable."

Kagome shook her head, not wanting to hear another word but still, Naraku continued.

"Kagome, my dear, demons are not like humans. They do not experience emotions as humans do. Sesshoumaru does not love you. He is merely toying with you. Haven't you already seen that for yourself? You are nothing but a plaything to him."

His words echoed in her ears. _Sesshoumaru does not love you … nothing but a plaything … does not love you …_

"Dog demons are known for their loyalty, Kagome. Do you think he would be sleeping around with another woman if he's truly loyal to you? Don't you think that he would've come for you immediately if he really, as you put it, love you?"

_He slept with … her … when I'm a captive here. Does he really love me? Could Naraku be right?_

Naraku let out a sigh.

"Kagome," he said, caressing her face gently before continuing, "believe me when I say that Sesshoumaru does not love you."

"I've known him much longer than you have. These eyes of mine have seen demoness after demoness all cast aside like a broken toy after just a while of being with him. Sesshoumaru does not love anyone except himself."

"Y-You're lying. You don't know him. You're his enemy. You wouldn't know anything about him."

Naraku let out a chuckle.

"Listen to yourself, Kagome. You accuse me of lying yet you sound so unsure. I make it a point to know my enemies very well. It is you who don't know him, Kagome."

Her lips moved but no sound escaped them.

_I-I know him. He's Kawamura Sesshoumaru. He works as an accountant but he's really a Taiyoukai. He likes beef steaks. He … I know him. He … he …_

Her mind drew a blank. It was as if the harder she tried, the harder it was for her to recall. Those little details about Sesshoumaru that she was sure she knew seemed to have disappeared, permanently erased from her mind.

In their place were the two very vivid images that wouldn't leave her mind no matter what.

"You don't know the ruthless killer behind that calm façade. You don't know how heartless he really is. You don't know his brutality and cruelty. You don't know about his other women. You only know what he wants you to know."

The words cut at her heart; wrenching open old wounds while effectively shredding it to tiny pieces. Was it possible that Sesshoumaru had been stringing her along all this while, playing her for a fool?

Tears began rolling down her cheeks silently. She felt very foolish now; no doubt about it. The way Naraku's voice echoed in her mind only made it worse. All she wanted now was for the voice to shut up and leave her alone.

_Sesshoumaru does not love you … nothing but a plaything … does not love you … heartless … his other women … you don't know … cruel … you don't know … you don't know …_

Leave her alone, it certainly did not. Kagome could still hear clearly every single word uttered.

"Shut up! Shut up!" she cried, willing the voice to stop. Naraku had conveniently left her hands bound behind her back, leaving her no other choice but to shake her head in a bid to clear the voice from her mind.

Still, the low voice continued on like a broken record.

_Sesshoumaru does not love you … nothing but a plaything … does not love you … heartless … his other women … you don't know … cruel … you don't know … you don't know …_

At the same time, images of Sesshoumaru making love to another woman and killing her with a smile on his handsome face assaulted her mind.

"Leave me alone! Make it stop!" she cried out, her eyes shut tight. It was bad enough knowing that she had been toyed with; she didn't need to see those images.

Naraku smirked as he watched her try to push the voice and images out of her mind.

_That's right, Kagome. The more you resist, the more vivid you'll see them and the louder the voice will become. Struggle, Kagome, struggle._

Tears streamed steadily down her face; marring her natural beauty with the tracks they left behind.

"Stop," she whimpered.

She hated it; hated those images that showed her just how stupid and naïve she was, hated the voice that was driving her crazy.

But above all, she hated the dog demon she had fallen in love with.

She hated Sesshoumaru for doing this to her; hated him for cheating on her, hated him for making a fool out of her, hated him for playing with her heart.

Her sapphire eyes glazed over as her subconscious mind recounted the things that she hated him for.

_Yes, Kagome. Hate him. Hate Sesshoumaru. He has done many unforgivable things to you. Hate him. Hate Sesshoumaru._

It was that voice again; the one that drove her crazy.

However, this time around, Kagome found herself agreeing with it, albeit a little reluctantly at first. _I … hate you … Sesshoumaru. I hate you. I hate you, Sesshoumaru!_

The world doesn't need someone like him. It would be better if he was dead.

_That's right, Kagome. You don't need Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru must die._

Her bright blue eyes dimmed and darkened. _Yes, he must die._

_Sesshoumaru must die. Only the power of the Shikon no Tama can kill him. Sesshoumaru must die. Revive the Shikon no Tama. Kill Sesshoumaru._

The last of the light in her beautiful sapphire eyes dissipated, leaving them hollow and soulless. Slowly, she nodded her head in agreement to Naraku's suggestion.

"Sesshoumaru, I will send you to hell," she whispered.

oOo

Nimbly, Sesshoumaru leaped backwards to avoid the bear demon's sword before disappearing and reappearing again behind the youkai, Tokijin poised to strike the demon's poorly protected back.

He slashed down quick and hard, cleanly snapping the bear's spine in the process. The bear let out a loud, anguished howl before collapsing onto the ground, bright crimson blood pooling around him.

Sesshoumaru flicked away the excess blood that clung onto his sword before sheathing it, a faint look of irritation on his face. For a lumbering bear demon who didn't even know the proper way to hold a sword, the fight had lasted longer than expected.

A swirl of youki around the bear caused the inuyoukai to look down sharply at the bear. Golden eyes narrowed as the wound on the demon began closing up rapidly.

_Impossible._

He had made sure to deal the demon a blow so fatal that it would have sent him into the afterlife immediately. Yet, the youkai was now standing before him with hardly a scratch on his body.

It was impossible.

Although not a fatal wound to a youkai of his caliber, it would still take him, Sesshoumaru, at least three days with proper medical attention before he would be able to walk again. How then, could a youkai on a level much lower than his heal himself completely in a matter of minutes when he should have been dead?

"Die, Sesshoumaru!"

The loud cry jolted him out of his thoughts. The bear was now rushing at him, sword drawn and with every intention of impaling the inuyoukai upon it. Unfortunately for him, Sesshoumaru would not give him that satisfaction.

Neatly, Sesshoumaru sidestepped the charging demon and faster than lightning, had the demon's left arm cut off at the shoulder. The bear fell to the ground, doubled over in pain and clutching his bloody shoulder.

However, just as Sesshoumaru readied himself to strike the youkai, another swirl of youki identical to the first enveloped the bear once again. Before his very eyes, the bear youkai grew another limb in place of the detached one.

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow. No demon should be able to regenerate a lost limb that quickly. Furthermore, that swirl of youki did not feel like it was a part of the bear's own demonic energy.

It was far more powerful and more sinister than the one belonging to the weak bear demon.

_What is happening here?_

oOo

Five hours later, Sesshoumaru was still battling the same bear demon from before.

It was baffling, to say the least.

Sesshoumaru had tried hacking him into minuscule bits with Tokijin, filling up his body with a very lethal dose of acidic poison, slicing him with his light whip, everything, but nothing seemed to work. The bear demon came back to life each and every single time.

The inuyoukai was getting tired of trying to kill something that obviously wouldn't die. His precious time was wasted here fighting a worthless demon when he could have been rescuing Kagome and Rin.

Then it struck him.

"Did Naraku send you?"

"And what's that to you, bastard?" the demon replied as he tried to land a blow on Sesshoumaru's shoulder, a move that Sesshoumaru parried all too easily.

The answer was more than enough for the Taiyoukai who easily put two and two together to get four. It was blatantly obvious now that Naraku was trying to delay Sesshoumaru by having him fight this bear demon.

_Damn you, Naraku, _he thought, his grip on Tokijin tightening. _What are you playing at now?_

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. Until he killed the youkai off, he didn't think that he could leave the area in search of them. Inwardly, he seethed, cursing the devious hanyou with all his might.

The bear demon came charging at him once more, his heavy steps leaving deep paw imprints on the ground. With his blade held high above his head, it was clear that he intend to cleave Sesshoumaru into two.

However, less than three feet away from the inuyoukai, the bear demon suddenly crumbled to the ground with a loud crash.

Sesshoumaru watched with a furrowed brow as the unmoving youkai's large body slowly began to turn into dust, a fine ash that blew away with the wind before his very eyes. Nothing was left of the bear demon except the clothes that he was wearing and the katana he was using.

The silver-haired youkai let out a growl. Something very suspicious was taking place and Naraku had a hand in it.

There was no doubt about it.

oOo

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A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll try to have the next one up asap. Leave me a review please? It's been a loooong time since I've heard from all of you and it'd be nice if you let me know how this chapter turned out. Thanks for reading!


	27. Petal 27

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter, despite the fact that it's late.

_Italics denote thoughts._

* * *

oOo

Sesshoumaru let out a growl and crumpled up the note in his hand. Naraku, that bastard, had murdered not only the fox demon Takani but also Wada Yuuta, a bull demon, as well as Maeda Kenji, a leopard demon.

All three were important generals of the Western Army and commanded a good portion of the troops, with the exception of the kitsune youkai Takani who was more of an advisor than a commander. But now …

"There were no survivors?" asked Sesshoumaru quietly.

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama. Every last member of their respective clans were killed including the young ones," replied Myoga with a shake of his head.

_Naraku, you scum. This Sesshoumaru shall have your head._

"Any news from our allies, Myoga?"

"Not yet, Sesshoumaru-sama. None of the messengers are back yet."

"Hn. Where is Inuyasha?"

His younger half-sibling's name had barely left his lips when the door to his study flew open and in rushed the hanyou in question, followed by a man and a raccoon demon in tow.

"Oi, Sesshoumaru!"

Golden eyes glared a glare that promised a slow and painful death at the hanyou who had just barged in unannounced.

"Whelp, do you not know how to knock?"

"We apologize for the interruption, Sesshoumaru-sama," said Miroku with a bow.

"Inuyasha-sama," Myoga called out, leaping over from where he originally stood to land on the half-demon's cheek. Fortunately for him, he managed to suck a drop of hanyou blood before Inuyasha slapped him away.

"Knock it off, Myoga," Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha-sama, may I ask why are you and your companion covered in blood?"

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow. Inuyasha was covered with the blood of low-level youkai, as is the dark-haired man, but neither carried with them the smell of the mountains.

"That's why I'm here. There was one hell of a lot of low-level demons in the city today, flying around and eating people like nobody's business."

"Low-level demons in the city, Inuyasha-sama?"

The silver-haired hanyou nodded.

"Sesshoumaru, I'm sure Naraku has a hand in this. When we were rushing over here, I thought I smelled the faint scent of rotting corpses lingering in the air."

"Hn."

"But why would he do something like this?" asked Myoga from the top of a furry puppy ear. "It is not beneficial to him in anyway."

"It must be, or else he wouldn't have done it," said Miroku, thoughtfully, one hand rubbing his chin as he thought it over.

"Could it be … that Naraku was trying to … but he couldn't have known that Inuyasha and I were in the area. And why the shopping district instead of somewhere more important? Perhaps it was because of something else? Was he trying to buy time? Ow, Inuyasha that hurt!"

Inuyasha hit the man on the head with a fist. "Stop mumbling to yourself, would you?"

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow. _Trying to buy time huh? _

It didn't make sense to him. Naraku sending a demon who wouldn't die to fight him he could understand as trying to delay him and perhaps also buy the hanyou some time, but releasing low-level demons into the city?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp ringing of his phone.

"Sesshoumaru speaking."

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" a voice squawked. _Jaken._

"Forgive this lowly Jaken for disturbing you, Sesshoumaru-sama, but I have some very important news for you. It is all over the news that you were involved with the youkai attacks in the city today and that you planned to overrun the country."

Elegant brows knitted themselves together. "The news, you say, Jaken?"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Hn. Jaken, get yourself to the Kawamura family mansion now."

With that he snapped his phone shut intending to turn on the television in his study, only to find that Inuyasha had already beaten him to it.

All eyes in the room were riveted to the smooth, flat screen where a dark-haired woman was talking rapidly into a hand-held microphone, her dark eyes looking directly at them. In the background behind her, was, to Inuyasha, Miroku and Hachi, at least, the all-too familiar scene in the city.

"… official that the one behind all this is none other than the highly-respected ex-Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, Kawamura Sesshoumaru. It is also believed that this is all a part of his plans to overthrow the current government and replace it with a new government of his own. Kawamura Sesshoumaru, an inuyoukai who owns a reputable accounting firm in Tokyo, still holds a reasonable amount of power in youkai society despite not holding the position of Taiyoukai anymore. Many believe that –"

Silence descended upon the room suddenly when Miroku turned the television off.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"I think that it's not necessary for us to listen any further, Inuyasha," said Miroku, with a glance at the silent inuyoukai standing by the window.

"There is no doubt about it. This must be all that bastard Naraku's doing," said Inuyasha.

Golden eyes looked out the window as he tried to piece everything together.

He was pretty sure that everything that had occurred up till now was interconnected but he had no idea how they linked to one another. Why would Naraku want to frame him for something like that? Why go to such lengths? Why capture Kagome and Rin? Why? Why? Why? He had no idea but he wasn't about to let slide. He will get to the bottom of it, no matter what.

A movement at the edge of the forest bordering the mansion's territory caught his eye.

"Myoga, the messengers are back. See to them. Inuyasha, go with Myoga."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," replied Myoga with a bow. "Let's go, Inuyasha-sama."

The hanyou answered with a grunt as he sped out the open door.

Once again, the large study fell silent and the other two occupants in the room shifted uncomfortably where they stood, Hachi more so than Miroku. Sesshoumaru continued to stand like a statue by the window and Miroku didn't think that he'd be starting a conversation with them anytime soon.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," began Miroku, successfully drawing the Taiyoukai's attention to himself.

"Thank you for saving my life," he said with another deep bow.

"Hn."

It was some time before Sesshoumaru's quiet baritone penetrated the silence that once again enveloped them.

"What is the hanyou planning?"

"To dominate the world. And with the Shikon no Tama in his hands now, he just might succeed in gaining the strength he needs to do so," replied Miroku.

Sesshoumaru turned around, fixing his bright golden eyes on the human man before him.

"What does that have to do Kagome and Rin?"

Miroku raised his violet eyes and focused them upon the Taiyoukai's golden ones.

"No offense to you, Sesshoumaru-sama, but how much do you know about the Shikon no Tama?"

"A jewel that purportedly has the ability to grant its owner any wish at all, created by the miko Midoriko when she bound her soul to that of the youkai she was fighting," replied Sesshoumaru, his brow creasing when Miroku had not answered his initial question.

"You're right, Sesshoumaru-sama. However, that says only very little about the jewel."

Clearing his throat, Miroku began to tell the tale about the legendary jewel.

"The Shikon no Tama was actually an accidental creation that resulted from the binding of Midoriko's and the souls of the demons she was fighting against. Because of that, both her energy and spiritual powers were severely depleted, leaving her barely alive."

"The jewel's power was so strong that it began attracting demons and humans alike to it. Everyone wanted to use it for their own gains but Midoriko, as weak as she was, along with her disciples kept them all at bay."

"It finally took a toll on her and with her last breath, Midoriko sealed away the powers of the Shikon no Tama to prevent anyone from using it, be it for good or for evil."

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow.

"Does that mean that the Shikon is powerless now?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Miroku with a firm nod.

"After Midoriko's death, the jewel was handed down from priestess to priestess for safekeeping. These mikos, also known as the Shikon Mikos, were all very highly trained and powerful. In fact, they were the most powerful mikos in the land at that time."

"About 500 years ago, the Shikon no Tama arrived into the hands of a miko named Kikyo. It was also around that time that the hanyou Naraku was born. Suffice to say, he lusted after the jewel the minute he learned of its existence."

"Naraku attacked Kikyo, robbing her of the jewel one morning. Despite being a powerful miko, she lost her life as well as the Shikon no Tama she guarded to Naraku."

_So that's how he got his hands on the jewel, _thought Sesshoumaru.

"Now, the spell Midoriko cast on the Shikon is not unbreakable. There are two ways to break the spell and unfortunately, Naraku knows of the existence of both."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. _It looks like someone has done all his homework._

"The first way would be to bathe the jewel in the blood of a person born at the stroke of midnight of a lunar eclipse that only occurs once every 500 years and the second, break it using an extremely complex counter-spell known only to highly-trained mikos."

"What then, is the connection between the Kagome, Rin and the Shikon no Tama?"

"Rin is the one whose blood can reactivate the jewel and Kagome-sama is the reincarnation of the Shikon Miko Kikyo that Naraku killed five centuries ago."

Sesshoumaru clenched his fists, hardly paying attention to the sharp claws that were digging into his palm.

He really should have killed Naraku once and for all 500 years ago. It had been an oversight on his part when he had let Naraku escape with his life; a terrible mistake that came back to haunt him five centuries later.

Blood red wisps began seeping into Sesshoumaru's golden eyes and in his anger, his youki began flaring up around him.

Hachi swallowed nervously and began trembling like a leaf in the wind. His instincts were telling him to run and hide if he wanted to survive but his legs were not listening to his brain. Miroku, on the other hand, was not in the least bit ruffled, as if being subjected to Sesshoumaru's overpowering youki was an everyday occurrence.

"Please calm down, Sesshoumaru-sama," said Miroku.

"Oi Sesshoumaru! Stop that," growled Inuyasha from the open doorway. Returning to find his elder half-brother looking like he was about to murder somebody was not something he expected.

"Save that look for Naraku. You want to hear what our messengers have to say or not?"

Gradually, the red in his eyes disappeared, leaving behind the naturally golden color as he forced his youki down.

"Speak, Inuyasha," he said as calmly as possible.

"Only the tiger youkais under Endou, Matsuoka's eagle demon clan and Kouga's wolf tribe still remain our allies. They're gathering as many soldiers as they can and will make it here by sundown except for Matsuoka who said that he'll reach early being a bird and all that."

"Inuyasha-sama!" gasped Myoga, flailing his tiny arms about. "Please show some respect to Matsuoka-sama."

"Keh, he is a bird, isn't he?"

"Enough," intoned Sesshoumaru. "What about the rest of them?"

"The rest, well, they want nothing to do with us. The Southern Taiyoukai sent you this message: Tell that old dog that I hereby dissolve our alliance. I will not lower myself to be an ally of a demon who has no honor and who thinks that it is alright to kill off his own subordinates just because they disagreed with his plans to take over the country."

The tall inuyoukai scoffed at the absurdity of what he just heard. _A demon without honor? Someone who kills his subordinates because they disagreed with him?_

"The Southern Taiyoukai must be going senile," said Sesshoumaru dryly.

"There is something very fishy here and I hardly doubt that his old age has got anything to do with it," said Miroku, his dark brows knitted together. "Something must have caused the Southern Lord to react the way he did and say the things he said."

"Naraku. The messenger that was sent to the Southern Taiyoukai reported that one of the tree spirits living there recalled the lord receiving a visit from a long, dark haired man who talked about Sesshoumaru murdering his people and having plans to rule the country," said Inuyasha.

In Sesshoumaru's mind, everything clicked into place.

The demonic attacks on the city, the lack of support from his allies and everything else, they all added up. It was an understatement to say that the spider hanyou had done some very meticulous planning.

By murdering his most important generals and ruining his reputation with slander and lies, Naraku had steered away the support of his allies and left his army nothing but a shadow of its former glory. The hanyou must have known that were he, Sesshoumaru, to garner the full support of his allies, he wouldn't even stand a chance.

That was also the reason why Naraku wanted desperately to activate a certain jewel in his possession by capturing both Kagome and Rin. The bear youkai earlier on was obviously sent to delay him while Naraku gathered the required power to defeat him in a fight to the death, power that he suspected came, for a large part, from the Shikon no Tama.

Without the extra power, Sesshoumaru was sure that defeating Naraku and his minions would certainly be very easy.

But first, they had to find out the exact location of Naraku's hideout. He had a sinking feeling that they were running out of time. And fast.

"Inuyasha, find out where Naraku is hiding."

"There is no need, Inuyasha. I know exactly where he is," stated Miroku calmly.

oOo

A bright emerald eye peered out the small hole he had just made in the thin rice paper paneling. Satisfied that there was no one outside anymore, he gave a nod to the young girl beside him before cautiously sliding the door open.

One more careful glance up and down the corridor, they both darted off down the long hallway.

They had been running for a very long time now, both himself and Rin, but still there was no sign of any exit even though he was pretty sure that they were on the ground floor now. The place was like a huge maze with every door and every corridor looking, for the most part, identical to one another.

A pair of pointed ears twitched slightly at a rather familiar sound and he stifled a gasp.

Just around the corner a short distance away, was the sound of approaching footsteps. Hurriedly, he grabbed Rin's hand and slid open the nearest door, ducking inside before sliding it shut once again and plunging the two of them in absolute darkness.

It wasn't long before the footsteps he had heard walked past the room they were currently hiding in. To their utmost horror, the footsteps stopped just outside their hiding place and two voices could be heard conversing with one another.

As a precaution, Shippou threw an invisibility spell on both himself and Rin, who had begun to shake and tremble.

_Don't come in, go away, don't come in._

Both children unconsciously held their breaths and held onto each other's hand tightly, hoping that someone up there would hear their anxious prayers.

Unfortunately, they must have worded their prayers wrongly for the door slid wide open and a tall man stepped in followed by another shorter one.

Both men walked further into the room before going to where a large box lay in the corner and hefted it up with a grunt.

"Boy, this stuff sure is heavy," said the first man.

"Yeah," agreed his friend. "I wonder what Naraku-sama wants them for."

They plodded out of the room with the heavy box, the shorter man sliding the door shut with his foot. Only when their footsteps and voices had disappeared into the distance did Shippou feel safe enough to drop the invisibility spell he had put on the two of them.

_Naraku?_

The name sounded vaguely familiar to him but he couldn't recall when or where he heard that name.

_Nevermind, _he thought with a shrug. Getting out of this place was more important than knowing who this Naraku guy was.

But first, he needed some light to see just what kind of room they were in.

"Kitsune-bi," he whispered. Immediately, a small orb of blue fire appeared in the palm of his hand.

The room wasn't very large, and now that the box had been removed, it was empty with hardly a piece of furniture inside. But a closed window at the corner of the opposite wall caught his attention.

He scurried over and with Rin's help, managed to push it open, silently thankful that it was just barely higher than their heads.

Standing on tiptoes, two pairs of eyes peered out the gap in the shutters and were met with the branches of a tree growing just outside the room. Letting his gaze fall downwards, Shippou noted with a slight shudder that the building was built rather close to the edge of a cliff.

However, the upside to this was that a forest lay below them. If they could somehow get to the forest …

Beside him, Rin was struggling to push herself up to the window ledge after having thrown a leg over it.

"Sh-Shippou-"

"What are you doing, Rin?" he gasped out, finally noticing the odd position the girl was in.

"Rin is going to climb down that tree," she said, in a tone that suggested that it was the most logical thing in the world, while motioning to said tree with her foot.

Shippou grinned a grin so wide that it almost reached his ears as he helped push Rin up. However, the ledge was much too narrow for even a girl as small as Rin to properly balance on and with a cry, she tumbled down over to the other side.

"Rin!" cried Shippou. One minute he was pushing Rin up and the next, a thud had sounded from the other side.

Immediately he transformed into a white goose and flew out the window. It was times like this that he was glad to be a kitsune youkai.

"Rin, are you okay?" he cried, rushing over to the little girl even before he threw off his transformation. Rin giggled at the sight of the large squawking duck waddling towards her.

"I-I'm okay, Shippou," she said, standing up and smiling at him.

Green eyes quickly looked her over. Apart from a few scratches on her face, hands and knees, Rin looked unhurt. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Rin. Let's go," he said.

She nodded and both ran towards the tree, scrambling and sliding their way down its branches carefully.

oOo

The crescent moon rose in the east, casting her pale silver light down upon the wide open field behind the Kawamura mansion where several hundred demon soldiers were assembled.

Up in the mansion's study, their respective leaders were gathered around a large table.

"I say we storm Naraku's place the minute morning comes," a loud, brash voice said.

"But we have hardly enough soldiers to do that, Kouga," an older sounding, much calmer voice said.

"I agree with Endou. Storming in now would only jeopardize our troops. It would be more prudent to have a strong strategy in place. What do you think, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hn," acknowledged Sesshoumaru as he looked at the map that lay open before him.

If what Fujisawa said was true, then Naraku's latest hideout would be a mere stone's throw away from Mount Hakurei, a holy mountain east of the Kawamura mansion. Why Naraku chose to dwell so near such a pure place was beyond him.

Golden eyes scanned the map carefully; keeping an eye out for all the potential places where they can ambush the enemy and vice versa. A frown appeared on his face. There was only one way to get to Mount Hakurei through the steep, rocky cliffs that created a stone ring around it and that is via a low, narrow valley. The hilly terrain was obviously in Naraku's favor, not theirs.

"Is there a problem, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The inuyoukai looked up to see Miroku looking at him, an expression of concern on his face.

"The surroundings are not favorable to us," he said quietly.

"Unfortunately, it is equally dangerous for those of us who can fly as well," said Matsuoka the eagle demon, thoughtfully.

"The bastard wants to trap us," growled Inuyasha as soon as he got a good look at the map. "There is no way out of there for an army, even one as small as ours, once you enter."

The others nodded their agreement.

There was no other way out of this. It was either they walk directly into Naraku's trap or …

Sesshoumaru glanced out the window at those gathered in the field. Every one of them had a family and loved ones waiting for their safe return. He may be ruthless, but he protected those loyal to him fiercely. He would not sacrifice the soldiers who have once again declared their loyalty to him needlessly. It would be more prudent to let them all go back to their peaceful lives and proceed alone from here.

"This Sesshoumaru shall go alone."

"W-What are you talking about, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked.

"This Sesshoumaru shall not repeat himself."

"What the hell, there's no way we're letting you face Naraku alone Sesshoumaru!"

Golden eyes narrowed dangerously at a defiant Inuyasha.

"Are you implying that this Sesshoumaru is incapable of eradicating Naraku on his own, hanyou?" he asked coldly.

"Wh-"

"Inuyasha, that's enough," said Miroku, cutting the half-demon off before he can make matters worse. "My apologies, Sesshoumaru-sama but I believe that Inuyasha did not mean it that way."

"All of us have gathered here for only one purpose and that is to help you defeat Naraku. Forgive my rudeness but don't you think that it's a little unfair to us when you so suddenly exclude us from your plans?"

"Going to Naraku's fortress will only mean a quick death to most, if not all, of them down at the field. This Sesshoumaru has no intention of embroiling innocent demons in his personal vendetta against the hanyou scum," he growled, glaring at Miroku.

The silence that fell upon the room upon Sesshoumaru's declaration was so loud that it echoed.

Myoga glanced around at each occupant in the room. It was as plain as day to him what each one of them was thinking.

It's true that going to Mount Hakurei is akin to giving yourself up to Death willingly yet all of them, the three youkai lords especially, felt honor-bound to lend Sesshoumaru every last ounce of their strength to deal with Naraku.

A loud pounding on the door shattered the tension-filled silence.

"Enter."

In walked, or rather, stumbled a somewhat wrinkled, green-colored … thing that looked suspiciously like a toad.

"Jaken!" exclaimed Myoga, hopping onto the toad's head. "You look horrible. What happened?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama," cried out the little kappa. "There have been more attacks by low-level demons in the city. Everywhere is in chaos right now. The humans are calling for your arrest, Sesshoumaru-sama, but some of the demons in positions of authority are vouching for you."

"I doubt if the demons can hold them back for much longer," observed Miroku with a hand on his chin. "As it is, even your own allies have turned from you. If word of this gets out, your credibility will be greatly undermined and they will have all the more reason to believe that you are the perpetrator, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"That bastard Naraku!" exclaimed Inuyasha, angrily clenching and unclenching his hand.

Despite his emotionless façade, Sesshoumaru was boiling with rage inside. How badly he wanted to fly to Naraku's fortress now and kill the disgusting hanyou with his bare hands. Yet, he stayed put for he knew that he would be playing directly into Naraku's hand if he didn't.

"May I propose a plan, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Miroku.

He gestured wordlessly for the man to continue.

"I suggest that you place the demons gathered in the field today at various places of the city to serve as guards. From the looks of things, I believe that there will be even more demonic attacks on the city later on. Therefore, you need not worry about them dying needlessly at Mount Hakurei. The rest of us, however, will go to Naraku's fortress with you Sesshoumaru-sama."

At the threatening growl from Sesshoumaru, Miroku quickly held up his hands in a placating manner.

"I did not mean to insult your power, Sesshoumaru-sama, but Naraku will not be fighting alone. His most powerful offspring, Hakudoshi, will most definitely be fighting beside him, as is other demons. It would be difficult for you if you have to fight them off alone and rescue both your daughter and Kagome-sama."

"Yeah, asshole. We can handle all the small fry for you while you kick Naraku's ass and act all hero-like," said Inuyasha.

He promptly received a hard knock to the back of his head courtesy of Miroku.

"What the hell was that for, bastard?" he exclaimed, his two puppy ears flat against his sliver head.

"Forgive Inuyasha's lack of tact, Sesshoumaru-sama. But yes, that about summarizes the entire plan," said Miroku with a sigh.

Sesshoumaru mulled over the plan. It sounded good and seemed to be in their best advantage. The man had a mind that could rival his deceased strategist, Takani, he had to give him that. But, did he trust him enough to follow his plan? Golden eyes focused on the dark-haired man standing before him.

Somehow, his heart and his instincts said yes.

"Very well. We shall put this plan into action. Matsuoka and Endou, the soldiers will be under your command. This Sesshoumaru leaves it up to you to decide where you want to position them. Myoga and Jaken, you are to stay here. The rest, prepare yourself. We will depart at first light and reach Hakureizan well before noon. That is all."

His tone was final and booked no arguments, not that anyone had the wish to do so.

Matsuoka and the tiger demon, Endou, left immediately after a bow. They had a city to protect after all. Inuyasha dashed out to prepare for the fight with Naraku, namely, retrieve his sword Tetsusaiga from the vault. Sesshoumaru too, had left the room, Myoga and Jaken following close behind him.

Kouga looked at the human man standing near the door who smiled upon noticing his gaze.

"Hey, you're going with us right?"

"Of course, Kouga-kun. Is there a problem?"

"You know, you're a human and all. Do you think you can keep up with us when we start travelling at youkai speed in the morning?"

"Ah, so that's what's worrying you. I assure you, Kouga-kun, there's no need to worry about me. You see, I have a friend here who is capable of flight and he's going to fly me there," replied Miroku amiably while patting Hachiemon's round head.

Beside him, Hachi gulped visibly as beads of sweat began collecting on his forehead.

oOo

The weak rays of the noonday sun broke through the mass of gray clouds hovering in the sky above to cast her pale light down upon the flat, barren piece of land where two groups gathered; one very large and the other almost minuscule in comparison.

Sesshoumaru stood tall and regal at the head of the group, his long silver hair swaying ever so slightly in the breeze. Into the distance, he stared with a pair of piercing golden eyes, silently taking in everything.

A legion of soldiers, mostly low-level demons, stood behind the spider hanyou Naraku. They did not concern him in the least for they were merely pawns with power so weak that Inuyasha, a half-blood, could take the whole lot of them down with his bare hands.

Standing on the ground on Naraku's right was the void demon, Kanna, who was, as per her norm, holding up a round, silver mirror in her small hands. On his left and hovering more than five feet above the ground with a large sword was Naraku's other offspring, the humanoid youkai Hakudoshi. Once more, they didn't worry him much for Inuyasha and the monk could easily deal with them.

What really concerned him was something else entirely.

Power, a considerable amount of it that he was sure wasn't there the last time they faced-off, rolled off the spider hanyou in giant waves. For a hanyou who had been reduced into nothing more than a mass of writhing jyaki, there was no way he could have gained so much power in just a few centuries.

Something had contributed to this immense well of power in the hanyou; something very evil and malevolent that was hell bent on killing every single living, breathing thing on the field.

"The Shikon no Tama," gasped Miroku. "It has been awakened."

Naraku chuckled.

"How astute of you Fujisawa. Yes, the Shikon no Tama has been awakened and it is all thanks to the lovely Kagome who so generously broke every last spell binding the jewel's power."

Sesshoumaru stilled at the mention of Kagome's name. _She restored the jewel's power for Naraku?_

"Surely you jest, Naraku. Kagome-sama would never do such a thing," said Miroku smoothly.

"Yeah, Kagome would never help a bastard like you," agreed Inuyasha.

This time Naraku let out a loud laugh.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he said, taking a step to his left.

There, standing behind Naraku stood a petite young woman dressed in the traditional garbs of a miko, her long ebony hair unbound and brushing across her back with every breath of the wind. In her right hand was a long wooden bow while a quiver full of arrows was slung across her back.

Both violet and amber eyes widened. Prior to this, none of them had felt any trace of Kagome's pure aura, as if she hadn't been standing there all along. She tilted her head upwards, her gaze clashing with Sesshoumaru's penetrating one.

Golden eyes narrowed. The Kagome he saw standing before them was not the Kagome they knew. Her bright sapphire eyes were hollow and soulless, telltale signs of someone who was being manipulated like a puppet.

_Naraku._

"I believe introductions are not necessary here. I'm sure you are very well acquainted with Kagome here, Sesshoumaru," said Naraku, one hand stroking Kagome's smooth cheek.

The inuyoukai let out a low warning growl at the sight of his Kagome being pawed by the vile hanyou. Beside him, Inuyasha wrapped his hand around Tetsusaiga's hilt while Miroku gripped his shakujou tightly.

"Kagome! What the hell are you doing over there? Don't you know that you're on the wrong side?"

She turned her gaze towards Inuyasha following his loud, demanding question. Wordlessly and with a practiced ease, she notched an arrow to her bow before letting it fly.

Immediately, he leaped backwards.

The purifying arrow hit the earth, embedding deep inside with a thud at the place where his feet had been two seconds earlier.

"BITCH!" exclaimed Inuyasha, sliding Tetsusaiga out from its scabbard.

"Inuyasha," said Miroku, placing a hand on the hanyou's shoulder to calm him down, "she is not herself."

"Yeah, she doesn't know who you are, dog-turd," said Kouga.

"Then we'll just kill the bastard who's controlling her," he replied, pointing a transformed Tetsusaiga at Naraku.

Once more, the spider hanyou laughed a loud taunting laugh.

"You think that you can kill me, Inuyasha? You're a hundred years too early to even dream about it!"

Turning to the child-like demon beside him, Naraku said, "He's all yours, Hakudoshi."

The white haired youkai grinned.

"Let's have you warmed up nicely first, Inuyasha," he said, making a gesture with his raised left hand.

It was then that all hell broke loose.

oOo

Inuyasha's chest heaved slightly as he took in some much needed air, his amber eyes glancing about the piece of barren land. Behind him, he could hear the rings on Miroku's shakujo jangling as he fought off some low-level demons.

Dead bodies lay scattered about, their crimson blood seeping rapidly into the dry earth. His nose twitched slightly; the smell was getting to him. It had been a very long time since he had last been on a battlefield.

The human man was a much better fighter than he gave him credit for. _As is the mangy wolf, _he thought sourly. Kouga seemed to have improved on his fighting skills after the last time they fought, but over what, he had no idea.

All three of them were relatively unscathed, with only a few minor nicks and scrapes to report, although they looked as though they had been bathed in blood and bits of flesh. But it was worth the grime, for together they have decimated a good portion of Naraku's pathetic army.

Another swarm of demons flew towards him.

"KAZE NO KIZU!" he cried, unleashing a strong wave of energy with his sword. Demon flesh rained down upon them from the sky above.

"Keh, is this all you've got, Naraku?" he shouted. "I can take ten times more than this!"

"You sure are confident, aren't you Inuyasha?" said a voice from above.

Amber eyes met with pale lavender. It was that Hakudoshi brat.

"Let's fight now that you've warmed up enough," said the child-like demon with a wide grin.

"Keh, then come down here and fight instead of hovering up there like a coward. Let's see if you can still grin like an idiot once I'm done with you."

"We shall see," said Hakudoshi as he charged downwards, his long, broad-blade sword aimed directly at the hanyou's heart.

Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga just in time to ward off the blow and with a grunt, shoved Hakudoshi away before taking a leap backwards.

The brat was strong. But he wouldn't be able to stand up against his Tetsusaiga's powers.

"KAZE NO KIZU!"

A barrier deflected his attack, causing him to let out an angry growl.

Clawed hands tightened their grip on the sword's hilt as Tetsusaiga's blade began to glow red. Leaping to where the humanoid demon was hovering, Inuyasha struck down upon the barrier only for it to push him back.

Again and again, Inuyasha hit at Hakudoshi's barrier with his sword, each time being pushed back even more. Inside the relative safety of the barrier, Hakudoshi threw his head back and laughed.

"Is this all you've got, Inuyasha?"

"Let me show you what I can do."

A slight hiss was all Inuyasha heard before the broad blade of the child-like demon's sword came swinging down upon him. He tried to parry it with Tetsusaiga, but the force exerted upon him was so great that with just one push from Hakudoshi, the hanyou was thrown to the other side of the field.

oOo

Hurriedly, they scrambled up the slippery slope before them, mindful of the protruding tree roots out and willing to trip them anytime. Cautiously, Shippou cast a glance backwards, giving a sigh of relief when he saw no one. It would seem that they have managed to lose the low-level demon chasing after them.

"Let's stop for a while here, Rin," he said, flopping down against a convenient tree trunk. If he was tired from all that climbing and running, she must be as well.

She dropped down beside him, mimicking his actions without giving the dirt that clung to her skirt a second thought.

Overhead, the tall trees formed a thick, green canopy with their leaves, allowing only thin slivers of light to pass through. On the ground around them, forest insects chirped and screeched away noisily. Somewhere further away on his left, he thought he heard the soft gurgling and murmuring of running water.

"Shippou? Where are we?"

"I don't really know, Rin. But I think we're pretty far away from that place."

"Rin wants to go back to daddy," said the young girl softly, her voice threaded with the longing she felt for her father.

He nodded in understanding._ I want to go back to Kagome._

A gray cloud in the sky must have slid in and blotted out the sun because the surrounding forest suddenly appeared darker, much darker. Absolute silence enveloped them; there wasn't even a peep to be heard anywhere. The silence stood out like a sore thumb against the noisy environment they were in just a minute ago.

Shadows, those dark shapeless forms that weren't there previously, seemed to loom up out of nowhere making everything appear creepier and more sinister. Long vines that trailed down from the tops of the trees seemed to have grown and lengthened so much that they now touched the ground. There were more protruding tree roots than before as well, thick ones that crept and slithered along the earth to where they were sitting.

The air itself too seemed to have changed, as if it has thickened into a congealed mass that was making it hard for them to breathe.

"Sh-Shippou …" came Rin's frightened whisper as small fingers reached over to grasp at her friend's sleeve tightly.

"Let's get out of here, Rin."

Taking her hand in his, they set off at an almost desperate run towards where Shippou thought he heard the sound of water running.

oOo

They never found the stream Shippou heard. Instead, the two children found themselves face-to-face with an old, large tree after making several twists and turns as they ran.

"What are two younglings doing here?" a deep, gravelly voice said.

An old, large tree that had a face and could speak.

Two pairs of eyes widened as they stared at the face etched on the tree's trunk. Unconsciously, they inched closer to one another.

"Don't be afraid, younglings. I shall not harm you," it said with a kindly smile.

"I am known as the tree deity Bokusenou. What is your name fox child? And yours girl child?"

Shippou could only open and close his mouth in imitation of a fish. He had heard of stories regarding the legendary tree deities from his father although this was the first time he ever saw one with his own eyes. It was said that they could command all the other trees in their forest and every part of them, from the root to the smallest of leaves, had magical properties.

Rin, surprisingly, was much more composed than her youkai friend.

"Rin's name is Kawamura Rin, Bokusenou-sama. And this is Shippou."

"Ta-Takani S-Shippou, Bokusenou-sama," said the fox cub with an awkward bow.

"Kawamura … I had a friend by the name of Kawamura too. Unfortunately he has passed away although I believe that he is survived by his two sons, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha."

"He is Rin's daddy!"

The look on Bokusenou's dark brown face was one of surprise.

"Oh? Which one of them is your daddy, Rin?"

"Rin's daddy's name is Sesshoumaru," she replied with a wide grin.

"This is certainly a small world. Now tell me, child of Sesshoumaru, what are you doing here in this forest?"

Without further ado, Rin plopped herself down on the ground and launched into the story of how they ended up in the forest with some help from the fox kit beside her.

Bokusenou listened without any comments, only occasionally making soft sounds of agreement to show that he's following her.

"Then we ran and reached here," her childish voice concluded.

After a long pause, Bokusenou spoke up.

"I'm sorry, children if the forest frightened you. My trees don't take kindly to intruders. But don't worry, they won't harm you now."

"The two of you must be hungry by now. Not far down," said Bokusenou, indicating the direction with a low branch, "are some berry bushes. Help yourselves to the ripe ones. After you've eaten, you can take a drink from the stream behind those bushes before coming back to me."

They nodded and thanked the old tree deity, happy that they can finally satiate their thirst and hunger.

"We'll try not to get lost, Bokusenou-sama," said Shippou.

"Don't worry about that, fox child. The trees will tell you where to go. In the meantime, I'll send word to Sesshoumaru that you are here with me."

Rin threw her arms around the tree's thick trunk in a hug, her gesture giving the old deity a pleasant surprise.

"Thank you, Bokusenou-sama!"

oOo

* * *

A/N: I had wanted to put more in this chapter, but then that'd make it much much longer. This looked like a nice, non-cliffhanger place to cut off so ... Let me know what you think of this chapter okay? Thanks for reading!


	28. Petal 28

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

A/N: An update. Finally. I don't have any other excuse except that life has been busy. Hopefully there are still people out there reading this. To those of you who still are, thank you very much. *bows*

_Italics denote thoughts._

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oOo

Sesshoumaru let out a fierce growl as he melted away tentacle after tentacle with the green, acidic poison that dripped from his claws. Miasma spewed out of the large gashes he gave to Naraku, as if in retaliation. But he ignored it; being a poison-user himself, it would take something infinitely more lethal than Naraku's weak miasma to kill him.

The inuyoukai smirked as he charged at the spider hanyou, Tokijin poised and ready to inflict some serious damage. He felt fairly confident that Naraku's flimsy barrier would not stand up against an attack from his demonic sword.

A flash of blue light shot out from Tokijin's pointed tip towards Naraku, its energy so overpowering that several other youkai who stood too near its path were obliterated as well.

_Impossible!_

Golden eyes widened minutely before narrowing again in anger when Naraku's barrier repelled Tokijin's attack, dispersing it to the wind.

Naraku let out a demeaning laugh as he said, "Did you truly think that such a pitiful attack can harm me, Sesshoumaru?"

He did not reply; the hanyou was not worth it. Instead, Sesshoumaru focused his energy on Tokijin and called upon one of the sword's more powerful attacks.

Another blue bolt, this one several times more intense and powerful than the first, shot out. Again, Naraku's barrier reflected it without even so much as a tremble under the immense power of Tokijin's attack.

"The Shikon no Tama is a useful thing, don't you think so Sesshoumaru? If anything, it makes excellent barriers. I really must thank Kagome properly later for awakening the jewel."

The tone of his voice coupled with the heated look in his eyes left no doubts as to how he planned to thank Kagome.

Sesshoumaru let out a growl. Naraku's life is forfeit for even daring to think such thoughts of Kagome.

_Kagome is mine! _he thought as he charged forward, thin wisps of red seeping slowly into his golden eyes. His youki, overwhelming to most demons, began swirling around him.

oOo

Biting back a groan, he stood up shakily, Tetsusaiga held loosely in his hand.

"Oh? You're not dead yet?" a voice mocked.

Amber eyes full of hate and loathing glared at the child-like demon before him. He spat, the blood that has accumulated in his mouth from when he accidentally bit his tongue staining the dry ground a dark crimson.

"Keh, as if someone like you can ever kill me!" he cried, Tetsusaiga now gripped tightly in both hands. "I'll waste you first!"

Hakudoshi laughed at Inuyasha's exclamation. The hanyou, with his battered body wanted to kill him! It was merely wishful thinking coming from someone who could hardly stand on his own two feet without swaying.

Inuyasha flattened his ears against his skull as he tried to focus on Hakudoshi's wavering image. Blood, warm and sticky, ran a slow trail down the side of his face before dripping lazily to the ground. Tetsusaiga's shiny surface reflected his image; to say that he looked like a mess was putting it mildly.

A soft rustling sound put him on alert and he quickly raised his sword to ward off the blow. Hakudoshi's blade met his in a loud clang.

"Why don't you make things easier for everyone and just die, Inuyasha? A worthless hanyou like you wouldn't be able to last long anyway."

"SHUT UP!"

With all his might, he pushed the smaller demon back. The sudden burst of energy surprised the humanoid youkai who skidded backwards several feet.

_This is my chance!_

"KONGOSOUHA!"

Hakudoshi let out a gasp. Pale lavender eyes wide with shock as large diamond shards tore his barrier to shreds before piercing his flesh.

The humanoid demon fell, dropping like a stone from his position in the sky to meet with the hard dusty earth. With his barrier gone, so did his powers of levitation.

Inuyasha wheezed and coughed as he let the blade of his large sword rest on the ground. For a moment there he thought he wouldn't be able to summon up the necessary energy to launch the attack. But thankfully …

oOo

Long sharp claws slashed at his face and had he not brought his shakujo up to defend himself in the nick of time, Miroku was pretty sure that half his face would have been ripped off. Noticing an opening, he aimed a well-placed kick at the demon's torso before jumping backwards.

Just as he was about to take advantage of the fallen demon, something curled around his ankle tightly and pulled him down to the ground.

"Oof!" he exclaimed as his head hit the dry ground with a thud. He had forgotten all about the demon's tail. _Damn!_

He had barely managed to roll onto his back before the demon was upon him, its jaws wide open to reveal knife-like fangs, no doubt thinking to make quick work out of the human man.

_Dear Buddha, please don't let me die here._

A loud whoosh was all Miroku heard before the demon above him disintegrated. Blood and flesh fell upon him but he didn't care. He was only too glad to be alive.

Breathing heavily, he stood up, leaning on his staff for support.

"Thanks Inuyasha. You saved my life."

"Keh, and I thought you could hold your own in a fight. What a pansy."

"You're one to say when you don't look too good yourself," remarked Miroku, taking in the many deep-looking wounds on the hanyou's body.

"Shut up! Don't expect me to come and save your ass again!"

"Inuyasha, behind you!"

The dog-eared hanyou swung his blade behind him out of pure reflex, Tetsusaiga cutting down the bear demon in the nick of time. Had he been a second slower he would have fallen prey to the bear's deadly claws.

"Damn! Is there no end to them?" growled Inuyasha as he looked down at the rapidly disintegrating body of the demon.

A sudden surge of youki he recognized as that of Sesshoumaru's caused him to look up to where his elder half-brother was battling the spider hanyou Naraku.

oOo

Despite Sesshoumaru's demonic aura whipping up a strong gust of wind around the both of them, Naraku could clearly hear Hakudoshi's strangled scream as he plummeted from the sky. From where he stood, Naraku watched with a morbid sense of fascination as Hakudoshi hit the ground and a growing pool of bright red blood formed around the small lifeless body. As with the death of his other offspring, Naraku felt nothing. All his offspring were merely dispensable things formed from a detachable part of himself, nothing more, and Hakudoshi was no different.

Sesshoumaru let out a low growl at the insolent hanyou who dared to look away in the midst of their battle. It was arrogance, pure and simple, on the half-breed's part. _This arrogance will cost him. _One should never take one's eyes off one's attackers. The hanyou was a fool not to know that.

Sword raised, the now red-eyed inuyoukai charged at Naraku. To his anger, Naraku's barrier once again deflected Tokijin's sharp blade.

"Thought you could catch me off-guard, Sesshoumaru? You'll have to do better than that!"

Long tentacles shot out from all directions, forcing Sesshoumaru to leap quickly away or risk being speared to death.

"You can never hope to touch me as long as I have my barrier up, Sesshoumaru!"

Baring his fangs, the demon lord let out another growl. He hated the fact that Naraku was right. As long as the barrier put up by the Shikon no Tama was in place, there was no way he could even nick the spider hanyou with Tokijin. He needed something that could tear the barrier apart ...

"Sesshoumaru! Move!"

_How dare he order this Sesshoumaru around! _

Golden eyes narrowed at the figure clad in red on the ground below. A battered and bloodied Inuyasha was standing with Tetsusaiga gripped firmly in both hands in a very familiar stance. As much as he disliked being ordered around, and by his younger half-brother no less, Sesshoumaru knew when to argue and when not to argue about his position as alpha.

In a flash, Sesshoumaru disappeared from view.

"KONGOSOUHA!"

Diamond shards of varying shapes and sizes flew towards Naraku from the ground below. Like hundreds of well-polished arrows that glinted in the sun, the shards surged towards Naraku in an eerily quiet and deadly manner. So fast were they that the spider hanyou had no time to evade them.

The shards, with their sharper than knives edges, cut through the barrier with relative ease. Naraku's eyes widened as the shards from Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga shredded to bits what he deemed as the perfect barrier, with some of the larger shards breaking his dragon bone armor and tearing into his flesh.

"Hah! Take that, Naraku!" exclaimed Inuyasha triumphantly.

The very minute Naraku's barrier was shattered Sesshoumaru wasted no time in attacking. It was now or never. With a strong swing of his arm, Tokijin's blade swung in a wide arc and a bolt of bright blue light that headed straight for the spider hanyou was released.

Naraku's wine-red eyes widened and he let out a gasp. Tokijin's malevolent power hit him at full force and sliced through his body diagonally. The snap of bones being severed and the sound of flesh and skin being ripped apart could be heard clearly by every demon in the battlefield, no heightened sense of hearing needed. The bright crimson blood that had escaped the confines of the hanyou's body in spurts rained down on the ground below, not unlike some kind of ritualistic shower.

Two pairs of golden eyes watched as the half-demon's body was rapidly ripped to pieces, the combined forces from both Tetsusaiga and Tokijin making a quick job out of it.

Suddenly, Naraku let out a long laugh. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. To say that something wasn't right would be a great understatement indeed.

Before the very eyes of both brothers, a dark purple fog steeped in jyaki appeared out of nowhere and began swirling around Naraku's destroyed body. From the scattered breaks in the swirling fog, the shattered bones and torn flesh could be seen melding together to form new limbs and body parts.

"Impossible," gasped Inuyasha, golden eyes wide with shock.

Golden eyes tinged with red narrowed as they took in the hanyou's rapidly regenerating form. Even a Taiyoukai like himself, whose capabilities included the regeneration of body parts, would be very hard-pressed to heal all those mortal wounds in the blink of an eye, much less form a brand new body in mere minutes.

And especially after being hit by an extremely lethal combination of attacks from both Tetsusaiga and Tokijin, he will need nothing short of a miracle to be able to hang on to his existence in the world of the living.

But now, with Naraku standing whole before all of them, it would appear that he had defied the odds and achieved the impossible.

The fog soon cleared and Naraku stood before them, whole and without as much as a scratch on his body, a smug smirk adorning his face.

"That was a spectacular show was it not, Sesshoumaru? Behold the powers of the Shikon no Tama, Sesshoumaru," said Naraku as he opened up his arms.

"It does not change the fact that you're just a lowly hanyou relying on the powers of some trinket," said Sesshoumaru coolly, his usual look of indifference evident on his face.

Naraku raised a fine eyebrow before letting out another laugh, looking very much as if Sesshoumaru had just told him the funniest joke on earth.

"Hanyou? It seems as if your senses have dulled, Sesshoumaru. I am no longer a hanyou. In fact, I have gone beyond being a full-blooded Taiyoukai."

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow. It was true, the words uttered by Naraku.

Ever since he had gained the brand new body, the spider hanyou's scent has changed. Gone was the half-blood smell from his veins. However, neither was there the telltale full-blood scent every youkai of pure breed possess. There was something infinitely more powerful than a youkai's pure blood humming in Naraku's veins. But just what exactly was that Sesshoumaru had no idea for he had never before come upon such a scent in all his years.

"Well then, just what the hell are you Naraku?" shouted Inuyasha who had been paying close attention to the exchange.

Naraku let out a cold, bone-chilling laugh that seemed to echo ominously off the rocky hills that surrounded them.

"This Naraku is now a god! And you shall now behold the wrath of this Naraku's powers!"

Dark clouds rolled across the sky and blotted out the pale light of the sun, making it seem as if it were night instead of day. Bright flashes of lightning that streaked across the heavens lit up the rapidly darkening sky every once in a while. Thunder that sounded like a thousand large drums being pounded on simultaneously accompanied those flashes of light.

Suddenly the ground began to shake violently. Large boulders broke off the tops of the rocky cliffs to roll down the steep slopes and crash down on to the earth below, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Inuyasha, leaping away as a particularly large rock whizzed past him.

Scarcely a second after he jumped away, a loud rumbling sound that originated from somewhere far below the surface of the earth could be heard. A thin, hairline crack that quickly grew in both length and width appeared. In a matter of minutes, a chasm had taken the place of the almost invisible crack. The earth now looked as if it had been split open by an oversized cleaving knife.

From the newly formed fissure, a boiling, viscous liquid gushed out; a scarlet fountain that scattered scalding droplets of molten rock everywhere. The red hot liquid appeared to have a life of its own as they crept across the ground; the dry ground emitting angry spats and sizzles wherever the magma touched it.

It didn't take very long for the ground to be carpeted by the burning lava.

oOo

Violet eyes scanned the area as his hand reached up to wipe off a trickle of sweat running down the side of his face. With the rising temperature, it was becoming more and more uncomfortable just standing there. Thankfully, most of Naraku's army of low level demons had been either demolished by Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga or had fled for their lives.

"Geez, it feels like a sauna here," grumbled Kouga, swiping at his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah," Miroku agreed absently as he furrowed his brow. Something wasn't quite right but he just couldn't seem to put his finger on it.

A sudden, strong burst of demonic aura from the direction of the chasm drew his, and everyone else's, attention to it. Before their very eyes, long tongues of yellow and orange flames appeared over the rim of the newly formed chasm.

From the midst of the roaring fire, a figure with flaming red hair emerged. Garbed in a gold-trimmed robe of crimson and vermillion, he cut an imposing figure with his tall stature and broad build. Yellow eyes took in his surroundings as he cracked the long whip in his hand against the ground. Angry flames burst forth wherever his whip touched.

"The hanyou Inuyasha and his friends are your prey, demon," said Naraku.

The bright yellow eyes trained themselves on the silver-haired half-demon. A smirk turned the corners of his lips upwards as he took a step forward. Flames appeared at his feet with each step he took.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, hardly believing what he just saw. It was a fire demon from the pits of hell that Naraku had just summoned. To be able to call a legendary being out from within the earth's burning fires was already a perilous task in itself, but to command such a haughty creature was equivalent to committing suicide. Fire demons do not take commands from anyone.

The fire demon drew nearer and Inuyasha tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga.

"Kouga! Miroku! Run!"

They wasted no time in arguing with him for they knew that they stood no chance of winning against such a powerful creature.

Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha watched them run for the cliffs. A drop of sweat rolled down his dirt-smeared cheek and silently, he prayed to whatever god that would listen that his fire-rat haori will be able to withstand the fires of hell.

oOo

Naraku chuckled in amusement as he watched Miroku and Kouga scramble to higher grounds like a couple of rats. Below him, Inuyasha began a losing battle with the fire demon. A slight lift of his eyes and he could see that only Sesshoumaru remained seemingly unaffected by the fire demon's presence. From his position in the sky, the inuyoukai glared at him instead of at the demon his half-brother was fighting against.

With a wide smile, Naraku said in what appeared to be an apologetic tone, "I'm terribly sorry, Sesshoumaru. It seems that I have neglected you. Don't worry, that shall be remedied immediately."

Once more, long tentacles flew towards him.

"Pathetic," said Sesshoumaru in disdain as he raised Tokijin. For someone who had, not too long ago, proclaimed himself to be a god, such pitiful attacks were certainly laughable.

In a flash, Sesshoumaru disappeared from view before reappearing again after skillfully dodging the tentacles aimed at him, this time a few feet closer to Naraku. A soft whoosh from his left alerted him to another tentacle that was rushing at him. Without batting an eye, the demon lord raised his sword to cut off the offending appendage.

He had been expecting to hear the all too familiar sound of ripping flesh when Tokijin's blade met with the tentacles. Instead, there was a short, sharp clang before he found himself being pushed backwards. There was hardly time for him to contemplate this for tentacles – he had no idea how many – came rushing at him from all directions.

oOo

Naraku couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face at the sight of the Taiyoukai before him.

The arrogant inuyoukai was, quite literally, covered in blood. Dark, rust colored splotches stained his pristine white clothes and his mokomoko-sama. Even his long silver hair was not spared for a gaping wound on his back that had crimson blood oozing out of it colored a good portion of the moonlight strands red. Gone was the dragon bone armor and spiked pauldron that protected his chest, for both had long been shattered and now lay in several useless pieces that were quickly being melted away by the lava on the ground.

Sticky, warm blood ran a new trail down the dog demon's left arm where a tentacle had very nearly cut it off at the shoulder. The sharp, metallic tang of fresh blood filled the air, mixing with the scent of old blood as a growing patch of dark crimson bloomed around the new wound and dyeing the sleeve of his white silk haori completely red.

The bloody trail ended at his clawed fingertips, dripping down onto the ground where he stood, every drop seeping into the dry earth and staining it a dark crimson.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the abomination named Naraku who stood chuckling at him. He still couldn't understand how Naraku's tentacles that had appeared to be very flexible as they twisted every which way could be so hard, harder in fact than his dragon bone armor.

No matter how strongly he struck at them with Tokijin, the sharp blade didn't leave as much as a scratch on the tentacles. More often than not, he was pushed back or had to jump away to avoid being speared to death. His light whip and his poison, they did nothing to the tentacles. Even Tokijin's attacks were easily deflected, with each attack bouncing off like light reflecting off a well-polished mirror.

The inuyoukai let out an angry growl. Naraku's tentacles were coming at him at a speed much faster than before and it had taken most, if not all, of his energy to just keep them away from himself.

"Having trouble, Sesshoumaru?" taunted Naraku.

The demon lord merely glared at him in response as he took in some much needed air.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you couldn't cut my tentacles. Well, let me tell you this, it is all thanks to your dear little brother Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow for a moment. _Thanks to Inuyasha?_

"When Inuyasha attacked me with Kongosouha, my body absorbed the diamond shards and fortified my limbs with them, making them a part of me. Now, there is not an inch on my body that isn't as hard as a diamond, including my tentacles despite them looking so flexible. Therefore, Sesshoumaru, all this while what you have been trying to cut is actually diamond, which, I'm sure you know, is harder than anything else in the world," said Naraku before laughing out loud.

Sesshoumaru let out a growl as he glared at the laughing Naraku. The bastard absorbed one of Tetsusaiga's more powerful attacks and made it his own.

Another tentacle sped towards him and at the very last minute, he raised Tokijin to parry it. The force of it was so great that his sword shattered upon impact and he was thrown several feet backwards. Rising from his crouching position, Sesshoumaru looked down at the hilt that he still held loosely in his right hand. Only a bit of dull steel remained of the demonic blade that was Tokijin. Angrily, he flung it away from him.

Snarling, his fangs lengthened and his eyes turned red. Blatantly ignoring the fact that he was very badly wounded as well as weaponless, he flexed his claws and rushed at Naraku once more.

Naraku let out a laugh. _Is he that eager to die? When will the old dog learn that he can never defeat this Naraku?_

"You can never defeat me! Die Sesshoumaru!"

The words had barely left his lips when suddenly, something shattered his barrier and pierced his heart where the Shikon no Tama lay pulsating softly.

Naraku let out a gasp as he whirled around.

"Wha-"

Sesshoumaru halted in his advance, brows knitted tightly at the sight of the purifying arrow sticking out of Naraku's back. _Kagome?_

All of a sudden, Naraku's ruby red eyes widened and he clutched at his chest desperately. An agonized scream filled the air. Something burned and tore at his heart, shredding it into little bits and setting it on fire at the same time. Desperately, he clawed at his chest, his sharp nails tearing through his skin and leaving behind deep gashes that bled profusely.

"YOU BITCH!" cried Naraku as he glared at the figure standing on the rocky overhang some distance away. In her hands was a wooden bow, its arrow trained at him.

_No! It's impossible! Her soul was trapped in the mirror. There's no way she could have gotten her soul back! Unless …_

There was a soft whizz and before he knew it, another arrow had pierced his heart with a thud, this time from the front. So great was the force with which the arrow hit his body that he was pushed several steps backwards.

The burning sensation at his chest increased tenfold when he was struck by the second arrow. Naraku let out a piercing howl as he doubled over in pain. The Shikon no Tama had responded immediately to the powers of Kagome's purification arrows and was now magnifying the holy powers, slowly purifying him from the inside out.

The jewel was becoming pure again and he cannot allow that to happen. Gritting his teeth, he forced his jyaki around him, centering at his heart in a bid to overcome the purity that came from Kagome's arrows. Pink and black swirled around in the jewel, each fighting for domination.

A third arrow from Kagome dispelled the cloud of jyaki surrounding Naraku and further sped up the purifying of the Shikon jewel.

"You will pay for that, bitch!" shrieked Naraku as a handful of tentacles emerged from his back and shot towards the young woman.

Sapphire eyes widened at the sight of the large tentacles coming towards her. Hurriedly, she fired off arrow after arrow in quick succession. They flew straight and true in a pink path, only to fall to the ground below as soon as they hit a tentacle. Kagome gasped. The tentacles were coming closer and her only weapon could do nothing to them!

_They are too hard for my arrows to pierce. I must look for a weak spot. Naraku's weak spot … think Kagome … think … That's right! His heart!_

If she can hit his heart, no, if she can hit the Shikon no Tama embedded inside Naraku's heart again, she might stand a chance at completely purifying the jewel and defeating Naraku.

Quickly, she reached behind her for an arrow. Her fingers grasped nothing but air and she froze.

The quiver was empty.

oOo

A short distance away, two pair of eyes, one violet and one blue, watched in muted horror as the ebony haired young woman reached into her quiver for an arrow only to come up empty handed while the tentacles drew ever nearer.

"I'm going to save her!" cried Miroku.

"Stay here! I'm faster!" replied Kouga, as he leapt away.

A sudden, fiery explosion in his tracks threw him off the edge of the cliff.

"KOUGA!"

In his attempt to save Kagome, the ookami youkai had given away their position to the fire demon. As quick as lightning, the demon had lashed out at Kouga with his blazing whip.

The explosion destroyed a good part of the cliff and threw Miroku to the ground in the process. Wheezing and coughing, he attempted to clear out the smoke and dust that appeared to fill his lungs. He had to find Kouga quickly.

Crawling on his hands and feet, Miroku crept to the edge and peered over the rim, hoping to locate any signs of Kouga having managed to survive the explosion. He was not disappointed. There on a narrow ledge several feet below him lay Kouga, motionless but thankfully all in one piece. Were it not for Kouga's naturally fast reflexes, he would have been incinerated on the spot.

_Now to see if he's still alive or not._

Gingerly, the dark-haired man began to climb down the steep slope. He did not get very far when another explosion sounded, this time from above him. Rocks rained down on him but he clung steadfastly to the side of the cliff. Silently, he prayed to the Lord Buddha to enable him to reach Kouga safely.

An all-too-familiar crack sounded and instinctively, Miroku squeezed his eyes shut as he held onto a protruding rock for dear life. Several long, silent minutes ticked by and just as he was about to wonder what had happened when a rough voice broke the silence.

"Hey! Don't you turn your back on me as if I'm dead! I'm still your opponent, you bastard!"

_Inuyasha!_

oOo

"You dare to touch her with your filthy tentacles, Naraku!" snarled Sesshoumaru. Livid did not even begin to describe the enraged dog demon.

He had seen with his own eyes how Naraku's tentacles had shot towards the lone dark-haired figure standing on the cliff. The cloud of dust that rose at that particular moment due to the fire demon smashing into the cliff with his whip obscured his vision.

He did not know whether or not his Kagome was safe, and that made his blood boil.

Sesshoumaru's angry words were followed immediately by long sharp claws that plunged deep into Naraku's chest. Resistance was literally nonexistent for his acid-like poison melted both flesh and bone easily. Sesshoumaru retracted his hand just as soon as it entered Naraku's chest, but not without anything. Something red that throbbed lightly sat in his hold upon the exit of his hand. Miasma began spewing out of the wound.

"You … son of a …" sputtered Naraku as he clutched as his chest, almost doubling over at the intense pain.

Naraku let out an anguished howl as the inuyoukai's claws dug into the heart – his heart – that he was holding with his other hand. Claws as sharp as knives sliced open the heart ruthlessly until the Shikon no Tama embedded inside was revealed. Carefully, he removed the partially pink jewel.

_No! The Shikon no Tama! I must get it back! With the jewel I will be indestructible again!_

With this thought in mind, he reached out a hand to grab at the jewel, only to have that hand severed in an instant by the very same claws that dug out his heart. Naraku let out a howl.

Now that the Jewel of Four Souls lay safely in his hand, Sesshoumaru didn't think twice about pumping into Naraku's heart a lethal amount of poison. The reason was simple, anyone who dared to even think about bringing harm to those under his protection deserved to die a painful death.

Despite having already had his heart extracted, Naraku could still feel the pain as if his heart was still there in his body. His nails clawed at his chest, tearing away at the gaping wound left behind by Sesshoumaru. It was as if the poison was not just pumped into his heart, but also delivered into his body for he could very well feel the deadly liquid running through his entire system and burning every part with a vengeance.

It didn't take long for Naraku's heart to become nothing more than a runny liquid in his palm.

Without the Shikon no Tama inside him, Naraku was nothing more than a weak hanyou. There was only so long that he can stay alive without a heart beating in his body. Soon, his body began to disintegrate, each limb turning into fine, dark brown ash that was picked up by the wind and blown across the valley.

A dying shriek that echoed against the rocky cliffs for a seemingly endless moment was all the hanyou Naraku left behind.

But Sesshoumaru didn't care for him. Kagome was the only thing on his mind as he sped away to the cliff where he had seen her last, the lightly pulsating Shikon no Tama gripped in his hand. She had better be alive or he'll hunt Naraku through the depths of hell and bring him back to life just to kill him all over again very, very slowly.

oOo

* * *


End file.
